Have you ever looked at a koala and a sloth and thought, “They look like cousins!”?

Well… surprise! They’re not related at all! Even though they both love hanging out in trees and taking lots of naps, they’re very different animals.

Let’s find out who wins the Tree Champion Challenge!

🌍 Home Sweet Home

🐨 Koalas live in Australia and spend almost their whole lives in eucalyptus trees.

🦥 Sloths live in the rainforests of Central and South America, where they swing through tall jungle trees.

Winner: It’s a tie! Both are amazing tree experts.

🍃 What’s for Dinner?

Koalas are very picky eaters. They mostly eat eucalyptus leaves, and only from certain types of trees!

Sloths enjoy a bigger menu. They eat leaves, shoots, flowers and sometimes fruit.

Winner: Sloth! It has more choices at dinner time.

😴 Nap Time!

Koalas are famous for sleeping 18–22 hours every day. That’s almost the whole day!

Sloths also love a snooze but usually sleep around 8–10 hours in the wild.

Winner: Koala—the world’s champion napper!

👶 Growing Up

Koalas are marsupials, which means baby koalas (called joeys) are born tiny and finish growing inside their mum’s pouch.

Sloths don’t have pouches. Baby sloths cling to their mum’s tummy until they’re big enough to explore on their own.

Winner: Both have clever ways of looking after their babies.

🧗 Super Climbers

Koalas have strong arms and sharp claws that help them climb tree trunks and branches.

Sloths have long, curved claws that let them hang upside down with ease!

Winner: It’s another tie! They’re both brilliant climbers.

🏆 The Tree Champion Is…

It’s a DRAW!

Koalas and sloths may look similar, but they each have their own amazing superpowers. They evolved on different continents and found clever ways to live in the trees.

The most important thing is that both animals need our help. Protecting forests means koalas, sloths and thousands of other animals will always have a safe place to call home.

🐨 Joey Challenge!

Can you find three differences between a koala and a sloth? Draw a picture of each one and label:

• Where they live
• What they eat
• How they climb

Share your drawing with the Joey Club—we’d love to see it! Email us at j[email protected]