Native to Australia and known for spending their lives in eucalyptus trees, koalas are typically celebrated for their fluffy ears, button noses and cuddly appearance. But did you know that their teeth are just as fascinating and play a key role in the survival of this beautiful marsupial? Here are five interesting facts about koala teeth you need to know.

Koala Teeth Are Adapted for A Eucalyptus Leaf Diet 

Koalas typically eat between 450-900 grams of eucalyptus leaves daily, depending on their size and age. For this reason, koala teeth are highly adapted for a eucalyptus leaf diet. Their incisors act like scissors to precisely snip leaves, while their molars are designed to crush and grind the tough, fibrous foliage. It’s important for koalas to grind their food down well because it has low nutritional value and is very abrasive. 

Koala Molars Grow Continuously Until Old Age 

The continuous grinding of eucalyptus leaves means that koalas’ molars wear down over time. To mitigate this, their teeth grow slowly and continuously during early life and into adulthood. This is an evolutionary adaptation to their fibrous, low-nutrient diet and is one that helps koalas survive for as long as possible. Unfortunately, their molars stop growing in old age, which can eventually lead to starvation.

Joeys are Born Without Teeth 

Marsupials, such as koalas, enter the world extremely underdeveloped and because they’re born so early they have no teeth at birth. Koala babies, known as joeys, then continue developing inside their mother’s pouch rather than in the womb. It is here that they develop their first set of teeth. By the time they transition to solid food, the joeys have a full set of sharp little incisors for snipping leaves and molars for grinding. 

Koalas Use Their Teeth to Eat Pap

Joeys use their newly developed teeth to eat pap - a soft, bacteria-rich substance produced by the mother koala to help her joey transition from milk to eucalyptus leaves. Even though the pap is a ‘solid’ food it is very soft and mushy making it easy for koala joeys to nibble on. Pap then provides the gut bacteria needed to digest eucalyptus leaves later in life.

Koalas Have a Diastema 

Koalas have a noticeable gap between their front incisors and their back molars. This is called a diastema and is a space that acts like a holding area. It allows koalas to manipulate eucalyptus leaves with their tongue before pushing them back to the molars for grinding. This clever anatomical feature contributes to their slow, methodical style of eating and helps to extract nutrients. Scientific books on koalas explain this in a lot more detail, as the creatures’ eating habits have been studied in depth. 

Discover The Koala Who Could

If you love koalas and are looking for family activities to do near me, don’t miss The Koala Who Could live on stage. Based on the cuddly koala book by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, this is a loveable and heartwarming story of a koala who learns to embrace new things. Book your tickets for the UK tour today.