This is a koala in the wild. I've been totally waiting to get this shot for such a long time and finally here it is - joey is out of the pouch!!! View this as the big photo to see joey best :)
THANKS for getting me on the trending page every day for a week now!
I've been watching Corky for 2 months on my property and waiting for her joey to emerge.
2 weeks ago I caught a glimpse of joey and uploaded the photo here.
Around 5 - 6 months after the tiny joey is born and climbs into the pouch, mum begins to produce a specialised faeces called pap which is very soft (rather than the firm oval scats they normally produce). The joey pokes its heads out of the pouch and feeds on this pap to begin to add the bacteria needed for their digestive system to develop what it needs to start feeding on leaves over the next months. Sounds almost a bit gruesome eh!
@hermann@thresheg@cruiser@ziggy77@katrinastabback@happysnaps@beryl Thanks for enjoying and for the comments and favs. It sue has been a triumph to finally catch what I knew was hiding in her huge belly! Now to hope she hangs around for me to get many terrific captures of this bundle of joy emerging into life in the wild!
Oh my, I do see the little one! What a great shot! (Can she still go up and down the trees with the joey in the pouch, though? Wouldn't it be more difficult for her?) Maybe you should stay up in the tree for now, momma koala.
It sounds a little gross, but you do what you have to do to survive!!! The little joey is so cute and is sleeping away!!! Glad s/he is doing so well!! Too cute of a capture and love the info on them! FAV!
@kchuk Elyse, love your comments here and how much you enjoy the images :) This joey will still spend most of its time in the pouch for the next month or two, then start riding on mums back sometime in the next couple of months. Mum will remain pretty active and carry joey in the pouch until then.
This photo from last month shows a much older joey on mums back http://365project.org/koalagardens/365/2015-04-14
It's amazing how quick joeys learn to hold on tight, or travel curled up tight in the pouch :)
@gilbertwood@tonygig@janewinfrey@flyingleap@yeshanghai@onewing thanks for enjoying and commenting here, I appreciate it and am glad when people enjoy :) @cashew it does sound gross, but it's a bit different I guess for a mammal as the milk only joey diet turns to harsh eucalyptus leaves. lucky I guess they don't realise what pap is ;)
Awwww! lovely capture of them both.
It doesn't sound too bad, since human faecal transplants show significant promise for dealing with a range of conditions...
This photo from last month shows a much older joey on mums back http://365project.org/koalagardens/365/2015-04-14
It's amazing how quick joeys learn to hold on tight, or travel curled up tight in the pouch :)
@cashew it does sound gross, but it's a bit different I guess for a mammal as the milk only joey diet turns to harsh eucalyptus leaves. lucky I guess they don't realise what pap is ;)
It doesn't sound too bad, since human faecal transplants show significant promise for dealing with a range of conditions...