Koalas Will often be called bears, but this is a misnomer. While their scientific genus, Phascolarctos, translates as "pouched bear", koalas are usually not associates of your bear, or Ursidae loved ones.thirteen Koalas are actually additional closely associated with kangaroos, bandicoots and possums than genuine bears. Koalas are marsupial mammals, waiting for link from Article Directories (12)