Complete the passage with the words from the box

Complete the passage with the words from the box.

preserve     for      like      belief       iconic        highly     pouch       home

No one can resist the cuddly allure of koalas. These (1) __________ Australia animals are marsupials, a kind of mammal that is born undeveloped and is carried in a pouch. (2) __________all marsupials,including kangaroos, wombats, baby koalas are called joeys.

Newborn koalas are called pinkies, born blind and about the size of a jellybean. After birth the pinkie immediately crawls into its mother’s (3) ________, where it’ll stay for 6 to 7 months. At around 9 to 10 months the joey leaves the pouch for good, ready to munch on a variety of eucalypts. The leaves of these trees are (4) _______ toxic and low on nutrition, requiring lots of energy to digest. This is why koalas spend so much time snoozing so as to (5) __________ energy - often sleeping up to 18 - 20 hours a day!

Contrary to popular (6) _______, the koala is not a bear - though it’s certainly as cute as a teddy bear. One of the best places to see koalas in the wild is Kangaroo Island, a natural island sanctuary that is (7) ______ to many of Australia’s native animals. It’s the ultimate Australia bucket list destination (8) _______animal lovers.