Castor bean tick vs koala

Ixodes ricinus compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Castor bean tick is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Castor bean tick	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Arachnida (Arachnids)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Ixodida (Ixodida)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Ixodidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Ixodes	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Ixodes ricinus	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Castor bean tick and koala share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Castor bean tick

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Castor bean tick	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Castor bean tick

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (7 countries).

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.

Castor bean tick

The Castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus) is a species in the genus Ixodes. Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

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.