koala vs limestone fern

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Gymnocarpium robertianum

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while limestone fern is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	limestone fern
Kingdom	Animalia (حيوانات)	Plantae (نباتات)
Phylum	Chordata (حبليات)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (ثدييات)	Polypodiopsida (سراخس رقيقة المباغ)
Order	Diprotodontia (ثنائيات الأسنان الأمامية)	Polypodiales (سرخسيات)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Cystopteridaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Gymnocarpium
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Gymnocarpium robertianum

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

limestone fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	limestone fern
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	75 cm	—
Average Weight	10.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

limestone fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

koala

Iconic marsupial of eastern and southeastern Australia, koalas weigh up to 15 kg and spend up to 22 hours daily sleeping to conserve energy from their low-calorie eucalyptus leaf diet. Highly specialized to process toxic eucalyptus compounds that would kill most other mammals, they have gut microbiomes uniquely adapted for detoxification. Listed as Endangered in 2022, with populations decimated by chlamydia disease, habitat clearing, and climate change.