Study Finds How Koalas Drink
2020-05-11
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Scientists have long wondered how Australia's koalas get enough water to live.
2A new study provides an answer.
3In the wild, koalas get water from the plant leaves they eat.
4But they also get it from water running down the side of tree trunks during rainfall -- what we might call "tree-licking."
5Scientists have a term for this process -- "stemflow."
6The lead author of the new report on koalas is Valentina Mella of the University of Sydney.
7It was earlier thought, she explains, that the animals got most of their water from moisture in the leaves they ate.
8Mella and other researchers based their findings on 46 observations of koalas in the wild from 2006 to 2019.
9Most of the animals were observed at You Yangs Regional Park in the Australian state of Victoria.
10Mella notes that koalas are largely nocturnal animals.
11This means they are active at night.
12"They are arboreal," adds Mella.
13This means they live in trees and rely on them for food, shelter and, as the researchers just discovered, also for drinking.
14Koalas spend most of their lives high up in eucalyptus trees.
15They eat large amount of eucalyptus leaves.
16An adult koala normally eats between 500 to 800 grams of leaves a day.
17Because of their diet, koalas sleep a lot -- about 20 hours a day.
18Their diet of tree leaves requires much energy to digest.
19Mella notes that "koalas actually spend 98% of their lives in trees."
20She adds that the only time they come down to the ground is to find another tree with better food supplies or a mate.
21In fact, the word "koala" is said to have come from an Aboriginal word meaning 'no drink.' Koalas did not go down onto the ground very often.
22So, it was thought that they had no need to drink water.
23The researchers published their findings in the journal Ethology.
24They said the study may be useful in efforts to protect koalas for future generations.
25Mella says that the "observations in the wild are very important."
26She adds that they can help to establish what is normal and what is not.
27"If we watch them carefully," she says, "they will tell us."
28Koalas have been under threat due to a loss of their natural habitat.
29Australia's environment minister told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that recent wildfires have destroyed "up to 30% of their habitat."
30I'm Anna Matteo.
1Scientists have long wondered how Australia's koalas get enough water to live. A new study provides an answer. 2In the wild, koalas get water from the plant leaves they eat. But they also get it from water running down the side of tree trunks during rainfall -- what we might call "tree-licking." Scientists have a term for this process -- "stemflow." 3The lead author of the new report on koalas is Valentina Mella of the University of Sydney. It was earlier thought, she explains, that the animals got most of their water from moisture in the leaves they ate. 4Mella and other researchers based their findings on 46 observations of koalas in the wild from 2006 to 2019. Most of the animals were observed at You Yangs Regional Park in the Australian state of Victoria. 5Mella notes that koalas are largely nocturnal animals. This means they are active at night. 6"They are arboreal," adds Mella. This means they live in trees and rely on them for food, shelter and, as the researchers just discovered, also for drinking. 7Koalas spend most of their lives high up in eucalyptus trees. They eat large amount of eucalyptus leaves. An adult koala normally eats between 500 to 800 grams of leaves a day. 8Because of their diet, koalas sleep a lot -- about 20 hours a day. Their diet of tree leaves requires much energy to digest. 9Mella notes that "koalas actually spend 98% of their lives in trees." She adds that the only time they come down to the ground is to find another tree with better food supplies or a mate. 10In fact, the word "koala" is said to have come from an Aboriginal word meaning 'no drink.' Koalas did not go down onto the ground very often. So, it was thought that they had no need to drink water. 11The researchers published their findings in the journal Ethology. They said the study may be useful in efforts to protect koalas for future generations. 12Mella says that the "observations in the wild are very important." She adds that they can help to establish what is normal and what is not. 13"If we watch them carefully," she says, "they will tell us." 14Koalas have been under threat due to a loss of their natural habitat. Australia's environment minister told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that recent wildfires have destroyed "up to 30% of their habitat." 15I'm Anna Matteo. 16Will Dunham reported this story for the Reuters news agency. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 17________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19leaf - n. one of the flat and typically green parts of a plant that grow from a stem or twig 20lick - v. to draw the tongue over 21moisture - n. a small amount of a liquid (such as water) that makes something wet or moist 22nocturnal - adj. active at night 23arboreal - adj. living in or often found in trees 24digest - v. to change or become changed into simpler forms that can be used by the body 25habitat - n. the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows