Apr 03, 2021 10:00:00

The theory that koalas are loved all over the world because they resemble human babies.

Koalas that live in Australia are

said to cost 20 million yen a year to feed in Japan, but they are a popular animal that is sometimes placed in the center of the zoo. Kevin Markwell, an associate professor of tourism at Southern Cross University, argues that the reason why koalas are so popular is that they resemble human babies.

Why do we love koalas so much? Because they look like baby humans
https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-love-koalas-so-much-because-they-look-like-baby-humans-153619

Koalas are also very popular worldwide, with annual economic benefits of up to A $ 3.2 billion and creating 30,000 jobs before the new coronavirus hit the tourism industry. There is also a research result.

Associate Professor Markwell argues that the popularity of koalas is 'because they resemble human babies.' Associate Professor Markwell said that koalas are similar to human babies and are easy to anthropomorphize, citing

the research result that 'humans sympathize when they recognize characteristics common to human beings in animals'. I did.

According to Associate Professor Markwell, the 'baby-like points' found in koalas are:

・ Eyes are below the center of the head and the forehead stands out
-Rounded head and torso
・ Elasticity found on the surface of the body
・ Vertical posture

Besides this, koalas make a baby-like cry when they are hurt or upset. The state where the koala is actually ringing is as follows.

Koala Gets Kicked Out Of Tree and Cries! --YouTube


Associate Professor Markwell points out that adult koalas have a phenomenon called 'neoteny ' in which young physical characteristics remain. He argued that koalas are so popular because they look like human babies, citing research findings that human adults have positive feelings for neoteny.

According to Associate Professor Markwell, newspaper articles reporting on koalas published in the first half of the 20th century often anthropomorphize koalas like human infants, and published in 1918, ' The Magic Pudding'. There are also children's books that anthropomorphize and characterize koalas, such as 'Blinky Bill ' published in 1933. Thus, Associate Professor Markwell historically often associates koalas with human babies.

In the habitat of Australia, the people are said to have a strong attachment to koalas, and despite the existence of koala specialty hospitals in three states and the vulnerable species one step lower than the endangered species, Queensland It raises far more conservation funding than the endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat, which lives only in the state's Epping Forest National Park. However, it is estimated that about a quarter of the koala's habitat was burned down by a large-scale fire that lasted for several months from September 2019, and it is reported that it may become extinct if some measures are not taken. I will.

Koalas in New South Wales, Australia, threatened with extinction by 2050-BBC News