But these sleepy, Australian tree dwellers are full of surprises.

不過這些愛睡覺的樹上居民們身上可是充滿了驚喜。

Koalas are not bears, they're marsupials.

無尾熊不是熊，牠們是有袋動物。

Often mislabeled koala bears because of their teddy bear-like appearance, koalas are marsupials: mammals that give birth to undeveloped young.

由於外表看起來像泰迪熊，牠們常常被誤會成熊。無尾熊是一種會誕下發育未成熟胎兒的有袋動物，

Like most marsupials, mother koalas have pouches, where baby koalas, or joeys, drink their mother's milk and continue to develop for around six months.

如同大多數有袋動物，無尾熊媽媽有育兒袋，無尾熊寶寶，或稱幼獸，可以在裡面喝母奶並繼續發育約六個月。

But unlike most other marsupials, koala pouches open toward the bottom.

不過和大部分有袋動物不同，無尾熊的育兒袋開口是朝下的。

This allows joeys to access and consume a substance their mother secretes, which aids in the baby koala's digestion.

這使幼獸能夠獲取並吸收牠們母親所分泌的一種幫助無尾熊寶寶消化的物質。

Koalas have six opposable thumbs.

無尾熊有六隻成對的拇指。

With sharp pointed claws and rough pads, koala hands and feet are uniquely designed to grip branches.

無尾熊的手腳是專門用來抓緊樹枝的，牠們有鋒利而尖銳的爪子和粗糙的肉掌。

Their front paws have five digits.

牠們的前掌有五根指頭。

Two digits oppose the other three like a pair of thumbs.

其中兩根指頭與另外三根相對，就像是一對大拇指。

Their back paws each have one large clawless opposable digit, which allows them to grasp branches with their feet, freeing their hands to forage.

牠們的後掌分別有一根無爪的成對指頭，讓牠們能夠用腳抓緊樹枝，並空出手來吃東西。

Koala feet also have built-in combs.

無尾熊的腳還有內建梳子。

The second and third toes are fused together and are used for grooming their wooly fur.

第二與第三隻腳趾已經結合在一起，並可以用來梳理牠們蓬鬆的毛髮。

Koalas eat leaves that are poisonous to many animals.

無尾熊吃的葉子對許多動物而言是有毒的。

The koala diet consists almost entirely of eucalyptus leaves.

無尾熊的飲食幾乎全是尤加利樹葉。

Of the roughly 650 species of eucalypt trees in Australia, koalas prefer only about 30 of them.

在澳洲大約 650 種的尤加利樹中，無尾熊只吃其中的 30 種。

The leathery leaves are very high in fiber and contain chemicals toxic to other animals.

皮革似的樹葉中含有非常多的纖維以及對其他動物有毒的化學物質。

To process this specialized diet, koalas have a closed-ended digestive organ called a caecum, which helps digest the leaf fibers via fermentation.

為了處理這種特殊的飲食，無尾熊有一個封閉式的消化器官叫盲腸，它可以透過發酵作用幫助消化樹葉纖維。

Koalas sleep up to 22 hours per day.

無尾熊一天睡超過 22 小時。

Because of their low nutrition diets and sluggish metabolism, koalas must conserve their energy.

由於牠們低營養的飲食和緩慢的新陳代謝，無尾熊必須保存體力。

Koalas spend about 10% of their day eating and around 90% of their time sleeping.

無尾熊一天約花百分之 10 的時間在吃東西，其餘約百分之 90 的時間都在睡覺。

To accommodate so much time spent sleeping in tree branches, koalas have curved spines and tail-less rears padded with cartilage and extra thick fur.

為了配合在樹梢上如此長時間的睡眠，無尾熊有彎曲的脊椎以及墊著軟骨和厚厚皮毛的無尾屁股。

Koala habitat is quickly disappearing.

無尾熊的棲地正在快速消失。

Koalas only live in eastern and southeastern Australia, and once numbered in the millions.

無尾熊只居住在澳洲東部及東南部，過去曾有數百萬隻。

Now, wild koala population estimates vary from 43,000 to around 350,000.

根據估算，現在野生無尾熊只有 4.3 萬到 35 萬隻不等。

Vast tree clearing due to urbanization, along with droughts and forest fires, have drastically reduced koala habitats since the early 1900s.

從 1900 年代開始，都市化而導致的大規模林地清除以及乾旱、森林大火，大量地減少了無尾熊的棲地。

These stressors have made koalas vulnerable to diseases, as well as dog attacks and vehicle strikes.

這些壓力源使得無尾熊更容易罹患疾病，還有野狗攻擊和交通事故。

Australia's conservation plans include designating and protecting koala habitat, and funding koala hospitals and disease research.

澳洲的保育計畫包含規劃及保護無尾熊棲地，資助無尾熊醫院及疾病研究。

These combined efforts are critical to protect the beloved koala from extinction.

這些共同的努力對於保護討喜的無尾熊免於絕種是至關重要的。