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Clancy shows off his moves, changing trees without climbing to the ground. Clancy is a wild male koala, living in the You Yangs near Melbourne, Australia. He was born in 2010, the second son of one of our most researched females - Pat. He's known the Echidna Walkabout Koala Researchers since he was first able to hear and smell, and as a result of our non-intrusive methods of research, he shows very little nervousness about us.

What is Koala Clancy doing with that tree? Well, he's doing what most male koalas do - he's scent-marking. They rub their sternal scent gland on to trees in their home range, probably to let other koalas know they are around. Watch the video for more information.

Did you know that wild koalas usually change trees every day? We can walk up to 500m in a normal day to get to the tree we want.

This is a video of my grandfather Merle walking along the ground to go from tree to tree. It is true, sometimes we can just jump from tree to tree, if the trees are close and the branches can take our weight. But in the You Yangs, we usually move further than to the next tree, so we come to the ground and walk most days.

Wild koalas usually walk directly from the tree we've left to the tree we want - we don't stop much to look around, we already know exactly where we are going. Our knowledge of our home range is profound. Each of our 100+ home trees is well known, with some preferred on hot windy days, others for hot humid days, some for good food in summer, some are good for checking out the neighbours. There are so many factors that affect our tree choice, it's impossible for you humans to predict where we will go next!

Don't feel concerned if you see a koala walking on the ground - it's normal. The only time to be worried is if you see one that stays on the ground for a long time, or if they are in an unsafe place, like a busy road. Then we might appreciate some traffic management! But please do it from a distance of 10m or more - we don't like a person coming too close!

This is how we male koalas get the ladies to come to us! We are great singers.. Check out this guy's moves.
Male koalas broadcast their availability to females at the start of the breeding season each year by singing. Our song is low and deep, and carries far through the eucalyptus woodlands of eastern Australia. Lady koalas like a guy with a deep voice, and will go towards the singer they like best!!

For more information on wild koalas follow www.facebook.com/koalaClancy

I'm Koala Clancy and I'm a real wild koala, living free in the You Yangs Range near Melbourne, Australia. I'm a 5 year old male, and I've been part of Echidna Walkabout's Wild Koala Research Project since I was born. In fact, my mum Pat has been part of the research since she was a joey too, with her mum Smoky. Follow me to learn about what life is like for a wild koala. Through education we can be saved from the extinction predicted by experts!