1. Incisors: Their large, sharp, chisel-like incisors are used to cut off leaves from branches. These incisors are constantly growing and are self-sharpening.
2. Molars: Their molars are flat and have ridges, designed for grinding the tough, fibrous eucalyptus leaves. These teeth are also designed to extract as much moisture as possible from the leaves, as eucalyptus leaves are quite dry.
3. Diastema: Koalas have a gap between their incisors and molars called a diastema. This allows them to easily move their tongue to manipulate the leaves while they chew.
4. Claws: Koalas use their sharp claws to hold onto branches while they eat. This allows them to easily reach leaves in high places and maintain a stable position while chewing.
5. Powerful Jaw Muscles: Koalas have powerful jaw muscles that enable them to apply significant force when chewing. This is essential for breaking down the tough, fibrous eucalyptus leaves.
The Process:
* A koala will grab a branch with its claws.
* It will then use its incisors to bite off a piece of a eucalyptus leaf.
* The leaf is then passed back to the molars, which grind the leaf into a fine pulp.
* The koala will continue to chew and grind the leaf until it is completely pulverized.
Note: Koalas are very selective about the type of eucalyptus leaves they eat. Different species of koalas have a preference for specific eucalyptus species, and they will often only eat leaves from a few different types.
Interesting fact: Koalas have a special bacteria in their digestive system that helps them break down the toxins in eucalyptus leaves. These toxins make the leaves toxic to other animals, but the koala's bacteria can break them down into harmless substances.