Submitted by: Eileen Guo
Did you know that our cute little tree buddies–koalas–don’t usually drink water? In fact, their name comes from a word that means “no drink”. They don’t need to drink water because they get all their hydration from their diet: eucalyptus leaves. These leaves are 55% water!
But climate change is drying up the leaves. Scientists are tracking how koalas are now learning to drink. Koalas have been spotted drinking from puddles, sewers, and even water buckets in yards. Some of them even spend ten minutes straight on drinking!
Thankfully, some people are setting up water stations for our furry friends. However, this is not a sustainable solution at all. Koalas stay in trees for a reason: they’re slow, small, and they need to protect themselves. As they now have to roam around on the ground to find water, they are prone to be killed by predators.
This is just the beginning of climate change. Because of us, temperatures are rising, leaves are drying, and koalas are dying. Soon enough, it won’t just be the koalas who suffer.
