They are hailed as the cuddliest critters in Australia, but a video has emerged that shows koalas can turn hostile when push comes to shove.

The footage from a suburban street in Adelaide Hills, South Australia, begins with a pair of the emblematic marsupials in the throes of a heated battle on the side of a gum tree.

The larger male koala can be seen wrestling the smaller female down as she shrieks in protest, before pushing her off the trunk and sending her toppling onto the floor.

Devastated with her loss of territory, the displaced animal crouches on her hind legs and howls out in a heart-wrenching display.

The marsupial makes a last ditch effort to regain her lost territory, only to be shoved back down once more and appearing to sob.

But it seems the encounter had a happy ending, as the description for the video reveals the female managed to 'reclaim the tree by nightfall.'