Australia‘s deadly drop bears are evolving before our very eyes into cute as hell, super rare white koala joeys.
Yes, in Australia Zoo‘s litter of 12 koala joeys this season, one of the world’s favourite chlamydia-ridden, stoner mammals (get fucked sloths) has managed to pull a ‘Pokémon‘, becoming the Zoo’s first ever white koala joey. (Obvs none of this is actual science, plz don’t @ me.)
The white lady koala is not albino, but her white fur is extremely rare. Her unique colouration is caused by a recessive gene that zookeepers reckon she inherited from her ma, Tia, who has birthed other extremely pale joeys before. (Actual science.)
Rosie Booth, Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital director said that koalas in New South Wales and Queensland are lighter and smaller than their southern koala neighbours, because koalas vary in colour according to their environment.
She also told ABC that koalas with white fur and brown-black eyes and skin – like this one – are even rarer than albino koalas.
“In veterinary science it’s often referred to as the ‘silvering gene’, where animals are born with white or very pale fur and, just like baby teeth, they eventually shed their baby fur and the regular adult colouration comes through.”
And Australia Zoo, home of the Irwin family, on Queensland‘s Sunshine Coast, is stupidly calling on the general public to name her, because that has gone so well before.
Good names for good koala bears imo include: Casper, White Walker, Cruella, Eucalyptus and Muriel, the most Australian name of all.
Counting on you to go into Tourism Australia/Australia.com‘s Facebook comments and make this a win for Muriel. I believe in you.
