Social spacing

Social spacing
Koala resting in tree between branch and stem
Resting
File:Perception-of-Male-Caller-Identity-in-Koalas-(Phascolarctos-cinereus)-Acoustic-Analysis-and-pone.0020329.s001.ogv
A bellowing m

ale in the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
Koalas are asocial animals and spend just 15 minutes a day on social behaviours. In Victoria, home ranges are small and have extensive over

lap, while in central Queensland they are larger and overlap less.[69] Koala society appears to consist of “residents” and “transients”, the former being mostly adult females and the latter males. Resident males appear to be territorial and dominate others with their larger body size.[70] Alpha males tend to establish their territories close to breeding females, while younger males are subordinate until they mature and reach full size.[71] Adult males occasionally venture outside their home r

anges; when they do so, dominant ones retain their status.[69] When a male enters a new tree, he marks it by rubbing his chest gland against the trunk or a branch; males have occasionally been observed to dribble urine on the trunk. This scent-marking behaviour probably serves as communication, and individuals are known to sniff the base of a tree before climbing.[72] Scent mar

king is common during aggressive encounters.[73] Chest gland secretions are complex chemical mixtures—about 40 compounds were identified in one analysis—that vary in composition and concentration with the season and the age of the individual.[74]