Gray ironbark vs koala

Eucalyptus paniculata compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Gray ironbark is Near Threatened while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gray ironbark	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Myrtales (Myrtales)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Myrtaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Eucalyptus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Eucalyptus paniculata	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Gray ironbark

NT — Near Threatened

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gray ironbark

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Asia (India, Thailand, Vietnam), North America (Haiti, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Papua New Guinea), and South America (4 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

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.