contents MEET THE FAMILY Koalas of Werrikimbe National Park LIFE BEGINS Featured Family Welcome to the World First Meal EARLY ADVENTURES Featured Family Look Who’s Lunching Give It a Try 4 7 8 10 13 14 16 LIFE LESSONS Featured Family This Is How It’s Done Practice Makes Perfect KOALA SPOTTING Family Album Snapshots Words to Know Learn More Index 19 20 22 25 28 30 31 32
MEET THE FAMILY KOALAS of Werrikimbe National Park Some of the nearly 50 wildlife preserves and national parks comprising comprising the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia are located in the state of New South Wales One park Werrikimbe covers more than 128 square miles 332 sq km of subtropical rainforest and rivers Flying foxes bowerbirds and colorful parrots fill the treetops Tree frogs and carpet pythons inhabit the park’s wetlands and woods A variety of Werrikimbe’s animals are found on no other continent It is mid-December early summer and a pleasant 70 F 21 1 C A female koala perched on a branch 20 feet 6 1 m above the forest floor munches the leaves of a snow gum tree Thirty-five days have passed since she mated The experienced mother hardly notices as she gives birth to a single offspring About the size of a jelly bean the baby joey still has a lot of growing to do
