Sweet Video of Mother Koala Snuggling Her Baby Is Making Everybody’s Day
When time gets tough, sometimes just a cuddle or hug from a loved one makes everything better. I don't know if this koala cub is having a rough day or not, but the cuddle he gets from mom is the sweetest thing I've seen this week!
Australian Reptile Park shared a video at the beginning of March of a tender moment between mom and baby koalas. The clip is only about 10 seconds long, but the hug is a must see. Watch mama's face soften and relax as she gently embraces her baby - it'll give you all the feels!
This makes me want to snuggle my babies! Mama Koala was so tender and loving and it was clear she was enjoying the hug. @Australian Reptile Park's video went viral and has been viewed more than 6 million times and has nearly 4 thousand comments about the endearing moment. @Seductivegal60 swoons, "This is one of the most precious videos I’ve ever seen in my life! The mama koala with her baby hugging each other is absolutely adorable!" @harmonielyrics noticed something I missed at got more than 3 thousand likes for her comment, "Mama! Your claw is in my eye!" LOL!"
Related: Video of Sleepy Mama Koala Cuddling Her Baby Is Full of So Much Love
Baby Koala Facts
It's a fact that baby koalas - called joeys - are adorable, and their looks don't change much from when they're babies to when they're adults. But at birth, they don't look quiet the same. After mating, a mother koala is pregnant for about a month before she welcomes her baby koala into the world. They are born tiny (literally about the size of a gummy bear), blind, hairless, and earless at birth. They immediately crawl into their mother's pouch where they'll stay for six months to develop and grow. After that they'll venture out to explore the world.
Here's a yucky but interesting fact from A-Z Animals, "Newborn baby koala joeys can’t eat eucalyptus leaves directly and their mother’s milk only sustains them for a few months. So how do they eat? The answer might sound bizarre, but they eat their mother’s poop! This poop, called pap, is a substance that comes out of a mother koala’s anus and is eaten by their young. Its purpose is to provide koala joeys with pre-digested eucalyptus proteins to nourish their bodies."
Koalas are solitary animals, and scientists don't even have a name for a group of koalas together since it's so rare to see! In fact, the time that the joey spends with its mom during the first year of life is the longest amount of time they'll ever spend with another koala. The only other time koalas come together is to mate. Otherwise, they like to be by themselves. What a lonely way to live!
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