Sluggish tailless Australian arboreal marsupial with gray furry ears and coat; feeds on eucalyptus leaves and bark; SYN. koala bear, kangaroo bear, native bear, Phascolarctos cinereus.
Australian tree bear.
Marsupial Phascolarctos cinereus of the family Phalangeridae, found only in E Australia. It feeds almost entirely on eucalyptus shoots. It is about 60 cm/2 ft long, and resembles a bear. The popularity of its grayish fur led to its almost complete extermination by hunters. Under protection since 1936, it rapidly increased in numbers, but recently numbers have fallen from 400,000 1985 to 40,000–80,000 1995.