Koalas: they're cute, they're fluffy, they sound like what might happen if an idling boat motor fused permanently with a wild boar.
Recorded by keepers at the Taronga Zoo in Australia, this male koala, named “Storm", is bellowing out the song of his people, as it were. The sound is thought to attract mates during breeding season, which is currently in full swing in the land down under.
Each male koala has a unique sex-soliciting grunt and we're only just beginning to understand them. It's thought the calls also serve to ward off any competition that might be (quite literally) hanging around. By sending out the message that they're king of the castle, the solitary males can avoid potentially dangerous battles over territory.
That's not the only strange sound that comes out of these unassuming little tree dwellers, just listen to these two:
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Top header image: Jo Christian Oterhals/Flickr
Earth Touch News
Andy Jeffrey
Andy Jeffrey is a nature-loving nerd with a penchant for Star Wars and fast cars. A self-proclaimed Indiana Jones wannabe (right down to the irrational fear of snakes), he can be spotted digging through anthropology books in his spare time. Find him on Twitter @andrew_jay or in Earth Touch's 2-Minute Roundup series. VIEW more from this CONTRIBUTOR
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