Informative Speech About Koalas

Koala Knowledge

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Purpose: To educate my audience about our furry Australian friends, the koalas.

Thesis: Most people have heard of koalas but I hope to teach them about some general koala facts, their diets and interesting facts that they might have not known.

Introduction

I. Attention-Getter: Today, I will be talking about Phascolarctos cinereus, or as it is more commonly referred to, the koala.

II. Other: Most people have heard of koalas, but may only know common knowledge about them.

III. Thesis: I hope to teach them additional koala facts that they may not be aware of.

IV. Credibility: In preparation for this speech, I read three articles on the subject, and have visited a koala sanctuary during

There are some interesting facts about koalas that people might not be aware of.

A. In the article “10 Cool Things about Koalas” Deborah Tabart, Head of the Australian Koala Foundation, talks about how koalas can be quite loud when they want to be. (Verbal citation)

1. They make a bellowing sound usually during mating season to attract females and to scare away other male rivals.

B. Despite their cute and sleepy appearance, koalas can be quite feisty when they are provoked.

1. Koala claws are extremely sharp and long, so they will be able to climb trees.

a. Male koalas have been known scratch each other’s ear to ribbons when fighting over a territory.

C. Koala paws are similar to human hands because they have fingerprints just like we do.

D. At the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia, there are labor laws for the working koalas that take pictures with the visitors.

1. They can only work 2 hours per day because they need 22 hours to digest eucalyptus leaves and sleep.

(Transition: We have finished talking about some interesting koala facts, so let us recap what we