Koala

Koala Name meanings & History

Australian Indigenous. The name Koala is derived from the Australian aboriginal word "gula", which means "no drink". This refers to the fact that koalas receive most of their hydration from eucalyptus leaves. The word koala comes from the Dharug gula. Although the vowel 'u' was originally written in the English orthography as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to "oa", possibly in error. Because of the koala's supposed resemblance to a bear, it was often miscalled the koala bear, particularly by early settlers. The generic name, Phascolarctos, is derived from the Greek words phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". The specific name, cinereus, is Latin for "ash coloured". The name Koala is mostly used as a nickname or a pet name for children. It can also be used as a middle name or a name for a pet.