Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves how can a diet of only one type of food possibly cause problems for the animal's survival?

Answer 1

The koala is a specialist feeder, surviving on just a diet of eucalyptus leaves and flowers. While there are hundreds of different eucalyptus species in Australia, koalas eat from only about 60 of the species, depending on their location. Within their locality, koalas select from just 14 species as their primary food source, specifically, the subgenus Symphyomyrtus. Preferred eucalyptus species vary depending on their locality, so that the species eaten by Victoria koalas will be different to those eaten by north Queensland koalas.

The implications of this are that, when these particular species are cleared for housing, farming or industrialisation, the koala loses its food source. It seeks new tees, but this means revelling along the ground, where it is at constant risk of being attacked by dogs, or run over by cars.

Unable to adapt to a new diet, the koala population in that area dies out.