What kind of gut digestive tract do koalas have?

Koalas live in eucalyptus trees and eat only a few types of gum leaves from which they get all nutrients and water requirements. Eucalyptus leaves are tough, toxic and low in nutrition, but the koala has developed a stomach which is capable of removing the toxins from where they are filtered out by the liver. These poisons are then passed out with bile and urine.

The caecum completes the process by changing the eucalyptus leaves into digestible nutrients. The caecum is similar to the human appendix, and is about 2 metres long. In the caecum, microorganisms process the tough, fibrous parts of the leaves which can remain in the caecum for up to 100 hours.