Scientists uncover the odd way koalas hydrate

Posted by Adrian Brown on 6 May 2020

Until now, scientists have been unsure of how exactly koalas drink. A recent study has shown that this marsupial hydrates by licking water from the bark of gum trees when it rains.

Experts from the University of Sydney explored the question of how these animals stay hydrated. The research, led by Dr Valentina Mella showed that trees are extremely important for the hydration of koala’s.

Dr Mella, in a release, said for a long time people thought that koalas were not in need of large amounts of water at all as they remained hydrated through the gum leaves that they feed on. ‘But now we have observed them licking water from tree trunks. This significantly alters our understanding of how koalas gain water in the wild. It is very exciting,’ she said.

The university posted a video of a koala getting its water:

The drought in Australia, then, may be detrimental to koalas as they are known to suffer from heat-stress and show increased mortality rates during extended hot and dry weather. During these times, they often reply on artificial drinking stations.

‘This type of drinking behaviour – licking tree trunks – relies on koalas being able to experience regular rainfall to access free water and indicates that they may suffer serious detrimental effects if lack of rain compromises their ability to access free water,’ Dr Mella said.

‘We know koalas use trees for all their main needs, including feeding, sheltering and resting. This study shows that koalas rely on trees also to access free water and highlights the importance of retaining trees for the conservation of the species,’ she added.

Dr Mella also noted that the fact that koalas are nocturnal is significant to our understanding of their drinking habits.

‘As koalas are nocturnal animals and observation of their behaviour rarely occurs during heavy rainfall, it is likely that their drinking behaviour has gone largely unnoticed and has therefore been underestimated in the past. Our observations probably only represent a minority of the drinking that normally takes place in trees during rainfall,’ she said.

The koalas were seen licking wet bark in the rain across a variety of weather conditions, even when free-standing water was available in dams.

‘This suggests koalas were drinking not as a result of heat stress and that this behaviour is likely to represent how koalas naturally access water,’ said Dr Mella.

Image:Twitter / Planet Nature






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