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We’ve been talking a lot about koalas lately, and, sadly, it’s not just because they’re ridiculously adorable little mammals who deserve attention in the best of times.
The wildfires in Australia are killing them, destroying their habitat, and may even render them essentially extinct in the wild if we don’t do anything to help.
But if there a silver lining to the universe shining a very harsh light on the cute not-bears Down Under, it’s this: someone posted a video of what koalas sound like, and, well…educate yourselves, because there’s a 99.8% chance they do not sound at all like you’re expecting.
I mean…they’re so sweet-looking. They should squeak and purr, no?
No. No, they do not do that.
Here goes.
https://twitter.com/Kinglrg_/status/1221853097380777984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1221853097380777984&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iflscience.com%2Fplants-and-animals%2Fpeople-have-just-learned-what-koalas-sound-like-and-its-not-how-youre-imagining-it%2F
The internet had some feelings about it, duh, and most were at least as funny as the original video.
Sound like a dirt bike ? pic.twitter.com/zpmJfKYMPV
— Midwest Hokage (@b_french28) January 27, 2020
I held a koala when I was in Brisbane, and…idk guys, none of them made any noise at all. Probably because they were drugged so they wouldn’t try to scratch our eyes out, I’m now realizing.
Apparently they make a bunch of different sounds, and this one was a mating call – he must have really been interested in whoever was holding that camera.
Taronga Zoo Sydney cleared up some of the confusion on YouTube, saying, “Koalas might look cute, but they can produce bellowing sounds during mating season that have been compared to a donkey braying and a frog vomiting!”
Were you surprised by this video? Tell us what you thought in in the comments!
