koala bear
Misnomer for marsupial
Koala bear is a common but technically incorrect name for the koala, an Australian marsupial that lives in eucalyptus trees.
Despite its teddy-bear appearance, the koala is not a bear at all—it's more closely related to wombats and kangaroos.
The misnomer persists in casual speech: We saw koala bears at the zoo.
- marsupialPouch-bearing mammal
- joeyYoung marsupial offspring
- eucalyptusAromatic Australian timber tree
- pouchSmall flexible bag
- AustraliaSouthern Hemisphere continent-country
gum tree · tree hugger · arboreal · possums · climbing · herbivore · chlamydia · nocturnal · habitat conservation · vulnerable species · Australian wildlife · waddle · fluffy · outback · wildlife sanctuary · sleepy · dozing · endangered
- leaf eaterscaterpillar, leaf insect, leafcutter ant, silkworm, hornworm
- marsupialskangaroo, wallaby, wombat, opossum, possum
- misnomersstarfish, jellyfish, horned toad, tin foil, lead pencil
- Vombatiformswombat
- Bearsbears, polar, giant panda, grizzly, cub
- Australian busheucalyptus, bush, eucalypt, gum trees, bushland
koala beargrizzly bear
Large North American ursine
polar bear · brown bear · black bear · sun bear · sloth bear
koala beargrizzly bear
Large North American ursine
polar bear · lion · tiger · cheetah · wolf