Koala
Sounds & Calls

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a stocky, arboreal marsupial native to parts of eastern and south-eatsern Australia. 

What does a koala sound like? Despite their cute and cuddly appearance, koalas make one of the most unsettling sounds of the Australian bush! Koalas make loud, deep bellowing and grunting calls which can be heard from long distances. Both male & female koalas can make these grunting calls, though it’s usually made by males looking to attract a mate. They also make a variety of other sounds including snarls, squeaks and screams.

The vocal anatomy of the koala is highly unusual and enables them to produce sound of much lower frequency than their body size would otherwise indicate. According to koala researcher Benjamin Charlton “We have discovered that koalas possess an extra pair of vocal folds that are located outside the larynx, where the oral and nasal cavities connect. We also demonstrated that koalas use these additional vocal folds to produce their extremely low-pitched mating calls.”

Some examples of the low frequency grunts and bellows can be heard below. In the third audio sample below you can hear an example of the ‘screaming call’ which is given when a koala feels agitated or threatened. Female koalas often make this call when they don’t appreciate the over-enthusiatic advances of a male in pursuit of them!