Do koalas get ‘drugged out’ on eucalyptus leaves?
No. There is a common misconception that koalas get ‘drugged out’ or ‘high’ on eucalyptus leaves and that’s why they sleep a lot. This myth possibly arose as a way of explaining why koalas sleep for up to 22 hours a day. They need more sleep than most animals because eucalyptus leaves contain toxins and are very low in nutrition and high in fibrous matter so they take a large amount of energy to digest. Sleeping for long periods is a strategy for conserving energy. Koalas and gliders are the only mammals which can tolerate the toxins in gumleaves but fortunately they don’t make them ‘high’ or ‘drugged out’. More information…
