Asiatic elephant vs koala

Elephas maximus compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while koala is Vulnerable.
• Asiatic elephant is 400.0x heavier than koala.
• Asiatic elephant lives longer (60 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Elephas maximus	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Asiatic elephant and koala share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	koala
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	60 years	15 years
Average Length	5.5 m	75 cm
Average Weight	4.0 t	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asiatic elephant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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.

Asiatic elephant

Smaller than its African cousin, Asiatic elephants range across South and Southeast Asian forests and grasslands from India to Indonesia. Distinguished by their smaller ears, rounded back, and a single finger-like projection on the trunk tip. Deeply interwoven with Asian cultures, they have been used in religious ceremonies and as working animals for millennia. Endangered, with fewer than 50,000 remaining in the wild.

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.