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October 12, 2026 |
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Mammals |
| | Koala bears aren’t bears. | | By Bennett Kleinman |  | What do strawberries, the Hundred Years’ War, and koala bears share in common? They’re all misnomers, which is a term for names that are factually inaccurate. In the case of koalas, they aren’t bears at all, but rather marsupials — animals that give birth to underdeveloped young that are carried in pouches (think wombats, kangaroos, etc.). Bears belong to a separate group known as placental mammals, whose young are fully developed in the womb.
The reason koalas are erroneously referred to as “bears” dates back to English settlers in the 18th century who didn’t know any better. Upon arriving in Australia, the settlers came upon an unfamiliar creature they thought looked like a small gray bear with a pouch. They gave it the name Phascolarctos cinereus, derived from the Greek meaning “ash-gray pouched bear.” Though the name was later determined to be scientifically inaccurate, the “bear” moniker stuck. | |
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Today's Question |
| | How long does a koala joey stay in its mom’s pouch after birth? | | |
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