Australia's koalas cope with extreme heat by resting against cooler tree trunks, new research has revealed.
Thermal imaging uncovered the koalas' cool plan, confirming that they choose to hug trees that can be more than 5°C cooler than the air during hot weather.
Researchers observed the behaviour of 30 koalas during hot weather at French Island, Victoria.Co-author Andrew Krockenberger from James Cook University in Cairns, in far north-east Australia, says heat wave events can hit koala populations hard.