It is not news that koalas spend a great deal of time in trees, but this would have a reason beyond their comfort. In fact, the reason would be related to their survival, as a group of experts from the University of Queensland in Australia revealed that the little time these animals spend on the ground is associated with factors that lead to their death.
During the SEB 2025 Conference of the Society for Experimental Biology held in Antwerp, Belgium, researchers explained that extensive land clearing forces the species to move on the ground, exposing them to serious injuries and even death.
In this sense, studies have shown that about 66% of koala deaths occur while they are on the ground, as a result of dog attacks and vehicle collisions. However, what they still do not clearly understand is the frequency with which koalas descend from trees, nor the distance or speed at which they move, nor the time they spend on the ground.
While it is known that the iconic Australian species is endangered due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and diseases, there is not much information regarding their small-scale movements, especially when they are on the ground.
Koalas spend only 1% of their time on the ground.
Trees, their lifelines
In order to learn more about the different types of movements of koalas, researchers placed collars with GPS recorders and accelerometers that allowed them to record their locations every five minutes, with intervals increasing to five seconds during ground movement.
These accelerometers were used to identify different movements, such as walking, sitting, and climbing. This helped classify hundreds of behavior patterns, whether arboreal or terrestrial.
This is how they discovered that they spend only 7% of their time on the ground hopping and that they move with very little urgency. This means that koalas carefully assess their surroundings while moving, which is related to the energy expenditure involved in jumping.
Why Koalas Spend So Much Time in Trees
Koalas spend most of their lives in trees because that’s where they find their main source of food: eucalyptus leaves. These leaves are not only their exclusive diet, but also contain much of the water they need to survive, as they drink very little water directly.
Additionally, trees provide them protection from ground predators and adverse weather conditions. Their thick fur and ability to remain motionless for hours allow them to easily blend in with the foliage, reducing the risk of being detected.
On the other hand, koalas have a very slow metabolism, which forces them to conserve energy. Remaining in trees allows them to move little and rest up to 20 hours a day, minimizing caloric expenditure while digesting leaves, which are low in nutrients but rich in toxic compounds that they must process carefully.
