Tree for Three

These three Koala joeys at Sydney, Australia's Taronga Zoo first peeked out of their mother's pouch in 2013. Females Milli and Sydney are 18 months old, and the male, Tucker is 12 months. The zoo staff says the trio spends their days snuggling together in the trees. According to their keeper, Laura Jones,

"Tucker is usually the poor guy on the bottom. I think he goes to sleep first and then the girls find a comfy spot on top of him. He seems to quite like it at the moment though, as it may remind him of cuddling with his mum."

The zoo staff says the three joeys have banded together ever since being separated from their mothers.

After a gestation period of only 35 days, the female Koala gives birth to one to two joeys. The hairless, blind babies immediately seek the warmth and comfort of their mother's pouch, which faces backwards and has strong muscles to keep them secure. A Koala joey stays hidden in the pouch for six months.  At 12 months, the joey emerges from the pouch permanently. At the age of 18-24 months, Koalas are independent and spend most of their time resting in the upper canopy of trees.

Strangely enough, the Koala is one of the only animals known to have evolved a smaller brain in order to preserve energy in the species. They are nocturnal animals that spend 18-20 hours sleeping each day. With the vast majority of their time alive spent napping and cuddling, Milli, Sydney and Tucker may have a smaller brain than their ancestors, but it sounds like they have the right idea about how to live!

Images Credit:Taronga Zoo
Via Zooborns