SPRINGTIME NEAR FOR THE KOALA SERENADE: 3/4: Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future by Danielle Clode (Author)
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 2 September 2024
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
https://www.amazon.com/Koala-Natural-History-Uncertain-Future/dp/1324036834
Koalas regularly appeared in Australian biologist Danielle Clode’s backyard, but it was only when a bushfire threatened that she truly paid them attention. She soon realized how much she had to learn about these complex and mysterious animals.
In vivid, descriptive prose, Clode embarks on a delightful and surprising journey through evolutionary biology, natural history, and ecology to understand where these enigmatic animals came from and what their future may hold. She begins her search with the fossils of ancient giant koalas, delving into why the modern koala has become the lone survivor of a once-diverse family of uniquely Australian marsupials.
Koala investigates the remarkable physiology of these charismatic creatures. Born the size of tiny “jellybeans,” joeys face an uphill battle, from crawling into their mother’s pouch to being weaned onto a toxic diet of gum-tree leaves, the koalas’ single source of food.
Clode explores the complex relationship and unexpected connections between this endearing species and humans. She explains how koalas are simultaneously threatened with extinction in some areas due to disease, climate change, and increasing wildfires, while overpopulating forests in other parts of the country.
Deeply researched and filled with wonder, Koala is both a tender and inquisitive paean to a species unlike any other and a call to ensure its survival.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Kagan. |
| 0:02.0 | CVS I in the world. I'm John Bachelor. |
| 0:08.0 | Spending time with Daniel Cload, Professor Daniel Cload, whose new book is Kowala, |
| 0:12.0 | a natural history in an uncertain future. |
| 0:14.8 | Daniel's written several books, one of which is the tragic figure in Bambi, Fire. |
| 0:20.1 | And we're going to mention that because that's part of the challenge the koala must now deal with. |
| 0:25.0 | Having survived 24 million years in a continent that was once part of Gandhuana, South America, Antarctica, Australia. |
| 0:34.5 | It is now on its own in different parts of Australia depending upon where the people are. |
| 0:41.9 | We're going to talk about what they must have, which is |
| 0:44.8 | eucalyptus trees. Daniel tells me there are 8 to 900 species of eucalyptus |
| 0:51.0 | utilis. Did I write that down correctly, Daniel? |
| 0:54.0 | Yes, that's one of the species, but yeah, Eucalyptus is a very big group. |
| 0:58.4 | So it's the dominant form of a lot of Australian forests. |
| 1:02.0 | The most widespread forest we have is eucalyptus. |
| 1:04.8 | But we tend to think of them all as one thing, just eucalyptus. But in actual fact, |
| 1:09.5 | they comprise 8 to 900 different species and subspecies. |
| 1:13.2 | Kualas challenge is to eat eucalyptus leaves every day and make them nutritious. |
| 1:20.0 | How do they do it? |
| 1:21.0 | They have, in fact, it's so magical magical I was writing down my notes here they have |
| 1:25.8 | parts of their internal system that we don't have we have an appendix they have |
| 1:30.3 | something called a cicium see how do you say that word? |
| 1:34.0 | Yeah yeah, Cessum or Cecum. Yep, that's correct. It's really interesting that the |
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