Comments on: Koala Field Project: Meet Jackaroo

By: Jennifer Tobey

Jennifer Tobey — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:38:27 +0000

Thanks Margaret, Pamela, and Shirley for the great questions…keep them coming! The whole trip was a great success and we tracked quite a few koalas in the field and actually saw some possible breedings! We are still sorting through all the information and data, I am sure that means more blogs for you to read from Bill and I. And to answer at least one other question, the males do tend to have larger, more hooked shape noses than the females, it appears from this photo of Jackaroo that it may be larger than our males, but no, our San Diego Zoo animals have it too! And as far as your questions Pamela….I am working on finding the answers right now so stay tuned:) In the mean time I need to gear up, because our koala breeding season is just around the corner!

By: Margaret

Margaret — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 16:48:20 +0000

Hey, Jennifer,

Anymore luck tracking the sounds of the koalas? Any more sightings?

By: Pamela G

Pamela G — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 17:16:43 +0000

Thanks for posting the bellow, Jennifer! It makes the Koala sound quite large and fierce. Do the male koalas actually fight, or do they mostly just threaten each other? And do they make a different sound to attract females, or is the attraction mostly olfactory? Good luck with your fascinating study.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:57:28 +0000

P.S. Did you notice any physical differences in the faces, particularly the noses, of the wild animals versus those at the zoo? I observed that the picture of Jackaroo appears to have a larger proboscis than the picture which accompanies the Information about your study.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:54:51 +0000

Thanks, Jennifer. Sounds like the three of you had a very exciting and successful couple of days with Jackaroo. He sounds like quite a bellow fellow. It must be fun out in the wild tracking koalas. I have been fascinated by them since I was little because a Quantis arilines pilot friend of the family brought us small ” stuffed” koalas made with real koala hair. Mind you this was in the 1960s. Using the real thing now would be taboo. When I have visited koalas in a zoo they are always shy and out of view. It must have been really exhilarating for you to have him be so active so close to you. He obviously wasn’t shy about you being around as I am sure he could smell, see, sense your presence.

By: Shirley Sykes

Shirley Sykes — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 19:41:37 +0000

Wow – that was quite an experience, Jennifer. I’m glad he didn’t decide to come after you, as I understand Koalas have rather ferocious claws and don’t mind using them! I’ll look forward to hearing about the results of your groups’ studies and the conclusions you may draw from them. Thanks to you, Fred, and Bill for your great blogs!