This fella is named Winter. Supplemental video https://youtu.be/bsJUvKDLMKE He is looking for a place to call his own and has come through here a couple of times now in that quest. Thank you for the many lovely, thoughtful comments on my photos.
Very handsome. So does that mean he has to fight a resident male to find a permanent place, or perhaps if he stays real quiet he'll be gradually accepted
@joannakate Joanna great question - I'm afraid for him to settle here, where there are resident males will mean one of two things - fight or sit back very quietly. This lad has quite a strong scent gland developing on his chest, so I would be surprised if he sits back quietly.
There is a third option which is what we call a 'wanderer'. These males literally roam very long distances taking any chances they can. Very hard life for them, but a male with a colony position always has to work hard to keep it too.
@rickster549 Two main reasons for so many Rick - great question here too!
Young male koalas need to leave mum, and usually the entire colony after weaning and find their own home. This fella looks older than a newly weaned sub-adult as he has the scent gland showing on his chest.
So the other main reason is pressure caused by loss of habitat. Expansion is a constant here, and reduction of their habitat goes along with every expansion. There are some really big expansion threats happening in this area.
With climate change impacting on us with hot winters and a drought, the koalas are under even more pressure than ever. They are having to search further and harder to find leaf that is not only good enough to eat but has enough water content (koalas don't tend to drink water but get it from the leaf). My property is in a natural koala corridor, so all the koalas on the move tend to come right through here.
There is a third option which is what we call a 'wanderer'. These males literally roam very long distances taking any chances they can. Very hard life for them, but a male with a colony position always has to work hard to keep it too.
Young male koalas need to leave mum, and usually the entire colony after weaning and find their own home. This fella looks older than a newly weaned sub-adult as he has the scent gland showing on his chest.
So the other main reason is pressure caused by loss of habitat. Expansion is a constant here, and reduction of their habitat goes along with every expansion. There are some really big expansion threats happening in this area.
With climate change impacting on us with hot winters and a drought, the koalas are under even more pressure than ever. They are having to search further and harder to find leaf that is not only good enough to eat but has enough water content (koalas don't tend to drink water but get it from the leaf). My property is in a natural koala corridor, so all the koalas on the move tend to come right through here.