Koala populations in Australia have actually decreased by 54 %in the last 3 years.

Countless dollars are invested each year on safeguarding koalas, concentrating on securing environment and dealing with illness.

2 thirds of all koala deaths happen when they are moving along the ground, due to lorry strikes and pet attacks.

In spite of years of research study, little is learnt about how koalas carry on the ground.

Conventional GPS tracking supplies minimal insight into these motions, as they typically tape areas just one or two times a day.

“Koalas are primarily tree-dwelling, however due to comprehensive land cleaning, they’re significantly required to take a trip on the ground, which puts them at severe threat of injury and death,” stated Gabriella Sparkes, a Ph.D. trainee at the University of Queensland.

“I wished to much better comprehend what koalas do throughout these ground motions.”

“We do not yet have a clear understanding of how typically koalas boil down from trees, how far or quick they move, the length of time they remain on the ground, or what affects those choices.”

“These are vital understanding spaces if we wish to determine high-risk locations or times and establish methods to lower dangers throughout these susceptible minutes.”

To resolve these spaces, the scientists utilized accelerometers– bio-loggers that tape three-dimensional motion at numerous points per 2nd– to figure out the orientation and motion of koalas throughout particular habits.

They collared 10 koalas in the wild with accelerometers and high-resolution GPS gadgets for approximately 8 days.

They discovered that koalas checked out the ground 3 times daily typically, amounting to just 45 minutes.

Koalas took a trip usually 260 m per ground see, primarily strolling at 1.7 km/h with periodic bounding at 10.4 km/h.

Integrating accelerometer and GPS information, they recognized the particular trees koalas moved in between.

“When coupled with GPS tracks, this offers us an exceptionally in-depth view of how koalas move through their environment,” Sparkes stated.

“This research study has actually exposed that, unsurprisingly, koalas invest the majority of their time in trees, sleeping and feeding– however the real scale of their tree-hugging was stunning.”

“What amazed us was how rarely and quickly they utilize the ground– simply 2-3 times per night, balancing around 10 minutes in overall, or less than 1% of their day.”

“They invested almost as much time sitting and stopping briefly as they did strolling, and just about 7% of their time on the ground was invested bounding.”

“This might suggest that koalas are thoroughly examining their environment as they move, potentially examining trees before choosing one to climb up, or it might show the energetic expenses of bounding.”

This research study is the very first to record these fine-scale ground motions in wild koalas, and it opens brand-new concerns about how they browse significantly fragmented environments.

“We’re now taking a look at ecological functions that affect the length of time koalas remain in trees,” Sparkes stated.

“If we can recognize the sort of trees or environment conditions that motivate koalas to stay in trees for longer, we might have the ability to create or handle landscapes in manner ins which decrease the requirement for ground travel.”

Based upon these findings, the group wishes to affect the instructions of koala preservation efforts, which might consist of focusing on specific greenery types, enhancing canopy connection, or lowering spaces in between safe trees– all of which might assist keep koalas off the ground and out of the risk zone.

The findings assist to offer a much clearer image of koala habits, which can assist to direct more reliable environment management and lower the threat of deaths in vital locations.

“This research study is simply one piece of the puzzle, however it includes a crucial layer to our understanding of how koalas engage with significantly human-altered environments,” Sparkes stated.

The researchers provided their outcomes on July 1, 2025 at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

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Gabriella R. Sparkes et alKeeping an eye on the ‘Mundane’: What Do Koalas Do When They’re Not Sleeping? SEB 2025abstract # A16.1