Koalas weigh only 20 pounds. But they gobble almost 3 pounds of food a day. That’s like a 60-pound child eating 9 pound of food a day! Eucalyptus leaves aren’t very nutritious, so koalas need huge servings to get enough energy. Bacteria in the koala’s intestines turn the tough leaves into useful chemicals. Because they need so much food, room. A single animal’s home range, or territory, often covers several acres. If eucalyptus tree are rare, though, a koala may need dozens of acres to find its meals.