The koala had been named by IUCN in 2009 as one of 10 specied most vulnerable to what?

The koala is an iconic Australian animal. Often called the koala “bear,” this tree-climbing animal is a marsupial—a mammal with a pouch for the development of offspring. They live in the eucalyptus forests of southeastern and eastern Australia. When not sleeping, they’re usually eating. They rely on the eucalyptus tree for both habitat and food. Koalas can eat more than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day.

Koalas are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which has named them as one of 10 species most vulnerable to climate change. Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is decreasing the nutritional quality of eucalyptus leaves (which is already quite low) and causing longer, more intense droughts and wildfires. In response to drought, koalas are forced to stop napping and come down from the trees to find water, spending precious energy and putting them at a higher risk of predation.

The ten named species destined to be hardest hit by climate change are the Koala, Arctic Fox, Leatherback Turtle, Beluga whale, Ringed Seal, Emperor Penguin, Clownfish, Quiver Tree, Salmon, and Staghorn Corals.