koala

noun

ko·ala | \ kə-ˈwä-lə ,

kō-ˈä- \

Definition of koala

: an Australian arboreal marsupial (Phascolarctos cinereus) that has a broad head, large hairy ears, dense gray fur, and sharp claws and feeds on eucalyptus leaves

— called also koala bear

Examples of koala in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The zoo, of course, provides a detailed understanding of koala biology and behavior. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Quincy the San Diego Zoo's diabetic koala, gets help from Dexcom," 25 June 2018 At 550 acres, the Temecula resort is — holy koala! — more than five times the size of the San Diego Zoo. — Michele Parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, "24 hours at Pechanga: Gambling, eating, pampering and yoga," 29 Apr. 2018 Current studies predict koala populations could drop dramatically — as much as 50 per cent in the next 20 years in Queensland alone. — Stephanie Bedo, Fox News, "The secrets that could save koalas," 4 July 2018 All these precautions help koalas get the most bang for the bite of food, which is important because eucalyptus leaves are not very high in calories. — Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "A koala’s diet would kill most mammals. Their genome reveals how they survive," 2 July 2018 The koala challenges the kangaroo as the most iconic Australian marsupial. — Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, "Koala genome shows how the adorable marsupial lives on eucalyptus leaves," 2 July 2018 Many zoos have attracted crowds by keeping rare white animals, including Snowflake the gorilla at the Barcelona Zoo and Onya-Birri, an albino koala, at the San Diego Zoo. — Samantha Drake, chicagotribune.com, "Albino animals are at such risk that people built an island to protect one orangutan," 11 May 2018 In the video, Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin talk about the Chlamydia plaguing koalas and give a shout out to Crowe and (indirectly) Oliver for their funds to battle the outbreak. — Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, "John Oliver battles koala chlamydia, answers 'What happened to Rudy Giuliani?' in one show," 7 May 2018 In the backyard are two enclosures with about 20 koalas, usually in various stages of a nice nap. — Serena Solomon, New York Times, "Saving Koalas, and Other Marsupials, With Milk Almost as Good as Mom’s," 24 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'koala.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.