in honor of koalas

little known fact: plantation owners in the antebellum south often used Mech warriors
to oversee the slaves in the fields. Mechs were also used by William T. Sherman to tear up
southern railroad lines during his infamous "March to the Sea." The Mechs were disbanded
when Bumblebee and his fellow autobots showed up with the ability to both
(a) look like a Mech and  (b) look like a car.

Did you know September is "Save the Koala Month" in Australia? It sure is! So here are some cool facts about my kindred spirit animal that you may or may not already know:

1) Koalas are native to Australia and have been around for about 20 million years. During the Miocene Era, they lived in the Australian rainforests that were eventually replaced by eucalyptus woodlands.

2) Koalas are not bears. We are beasts. Also we are marsupials.

3) Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves and almost nothing else. Eucalyptus, though poisonous to every other creature on the face of the planet, doesn't harm koalas; in fact, eucalyptus makes them high. So basically koalas live how I would live if I lived in Washington State.

4) The brain size of modern koalas has reduced substantially from their ancestors. Scientists speculate this is because of their eucalyptus diet. Thus being high DOES dramatically reduce brain function.

5) Koalas cannot be kept legally as pets, much like pit bulls in Cincinnati. Unlike pit bulls, koalas are not used by gangs in fighting rings. Yet.

6) Koalas breathe oxygen from the air. Why this was included on an online "cool koala facts" list beats me. I assumed that they did this, like every other warm-blooded animal. But it never hurts to double check.

7) Koalas can run as fast as rabbits. And that one's actually pretty cool.

8) Koalas have been bred with men. Click HERE to see what I'm talking about.