Common Baskettail vs koala

Epitheca cynosura compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Common Baskettail is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Baskettail	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Corduliidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Epitheca	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Epitheca cynosura	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Common Baskettail

LC — Least Concern

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Baskettail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

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.

Common Baskettail

The common baskettail (<em>Epitheca cynosura</em>) is a dragonfly found across terrestrial and freshwater habitats of the United States. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting a stable and widespread population within its native range. <em>Epitheca cynosura</em> belongs to the family Corduliidae and is typically associated with ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow-moving streams, where its aquatic larvae develop. Adults are often observed patrolling over open water and forest edges in search of prey and mates. The species is named for the basket-like egg mass that females carry at the tip of their abdomen before depositing eggs in water. Males often form feeding swarms, particularly in the morning hours, where they capture small flying insects. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

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.