Koalas need moisture, but they get it out of the eucalyptus leaves. The word Koala is believed to come from an aboriginal word meaning 'no drink.'
Koalas do drink water, but very rarely, and usually only in extreme stress, such as during heatwaves. The story of the koala that drank from the fire-fighter's water bottle during the February 2009 bushfires was most unusual, and showed the desperation of the native creatures caught in the fires.
This phenomenon of koalas asking for water from humans is becoming more common during southern Australia's hot summers, when temperatures can be extreme. Cyclists in the mountains of Victoria during summer, for example, have been known to stop and offer thirsty koalas a drink at the side of the road, and the koalas have apparently accepted the drink.
Koalas rarely drink, but when they do, they drink only fresh water. No Australian marsupials can live on saltwater.
Koalas are not shy of water. They simply do not need to drink it. Koalas can swim when needed. During drought and heatwaves, they have been observed climbing into water sources to cool down.
Koalas drink their milk from their mother.
Koalas rarely drink any water, as they obtain most of their moisture needs from eucalyptus leaves. Koalas only drink water during times of prolonged, excessive heat, such as heatwaves, when temperatures can exceed 38 degrees Celsius for days or even weeks on end. At these times, they will drink water from any freshwater supply.
In an ideal world, where droughts and heatwaves did not occur, the koala would not need to drink at all. However, realistically, koalas usually need to find a source of water during the long, hot summer months. It may be a creek, river, lake, bucket in someone's backyard or a swimming pool (a lcommon cause of death for koalas as they fall in and cannot get out again). Koalas have even been known to follow bush walkers, seeking a drink from their water bottles. They will not drink often - perhaps once every few days under these circumstances - but they will drink.
Female koalas can meet their water requirement by eating eucalyptus leaves and do not need to drink additional water. Males drink some water in addition to what they get from leaves.
The word "koala" means "no drink" because these animals are the ones least likely to need to drink water. There are always exceptions, and heatwave conditions and bushfires in Victoria have certainly driven koalas out to seek water.
Koalas do not generally need to drink water as they obtain most of their moisture needs from the eucalyptus leaves they eat. However, during prolonged heat waves, they have been observed seeking water to drink from any available source - including bushwalkers with water bottles.
koalas and frogs are alike because they both live in nature and drink water
Generally koalas do not drink at all, obtaining all their needs from the leaves they eat. However, they certainly will drink from creeks and rivers in extreme heat, and the 2009 Australian bushfire season saw several examples of koalas drinking from buckets and even a water bottle.
The main thing koalas need is food, specifically, eucalyptus leaves. Koalas rarely need to drink as, under normal conditions, they gain most of their moisture needs from the eucalyptus leaves. However, they cannot eat just any gum leaves.
Koalas live in certain species of Eucalyptus trees, which provide food and shelter for the koala. They feed almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves and flowers, and they do not need to drink regularly as their moisture needs are met almost entirely by the leaves they ingest.