vs koala

Chroococcus minimus compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		koala
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Cyanobacteria (Cyanobacteria)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Cyanobacteriia	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Cyanobacteriales	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Microcystaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Chroococcus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Chroococcus minimus	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

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.

Chroococcus minimus is a species of cyanobacteria in the family Chroococcaceae, representing one of the smaller-celled members of the genus, as the specific epithet indicates. Chroococcus is a cosmopolitan cyanobacterial genus found across a wide range of aquatic and moist terrestrial habitats globally. The cells of Chroococcus minimus are spherical, very small in diameter, and occur in pairs or tetrads enclosed within a thin, often inconspicuous mucilaginous sheath. Despite their miniature scale, these organisms are photosynthetically active and contribute to primary production in their aquatic environments. Small-celled cyanobacteria like Chroococcus minimus may dominate the picoplankton fraction of oligotrophic freshwater bodies, where their small cell volume provides a favorable surface area to volume ratio for nutrient uptake in nutrient-limited conditions. Chroococcus minimus has been documented from freshwater habitats in Europe and elsewhere. Identification of small-celled Chroococcus species is challenging due to overlapping morphological characteristics and the influence of environmental conditions on cell dimensions. Molecular phylogenetic studies have substantially revised the taxonomy of coccoid cyanobacteria. The species has not been assessed by the IUCN.

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.