Black scale vs koala

Saissetia oleae compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Black scale is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black scale	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Coccidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Saissetia	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Saissetia oleae	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Black scale and koala share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Black scale

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black scale	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black scale

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus, Israel, Taiwan), Europe (22 countries), North America (Dominica, United States), and South America (Chile).

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.

Black scale

The Black scale (Saissetia oleae) is a species in the genus Saissetia. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

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.