Hedgehog arion vs koala

Arion intermedius compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Hedgehog arion is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hedgehog arion	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Arionidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Arion	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Arion intermedius	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Hedgehog arion

LC — Least Concern

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hedgehog arion

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (7 countries), North America (Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Chile, Colombia).

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.