koala vs

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Nemania serpens

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Xylariales (Xylariales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Xylariaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Nemania
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Nemania serpens

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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.

Nemania serpens is a saprotrophic ascomycete fungus producing flat, black, crust-like stromata that creep along the surface of dead wood, particularly hardwood branches and logs. It is found across temperate forests in Europe and North America, where it plays a role in wood decomposition. This species is one of the more commonly encountered wood-inhabiting ascomycetes in deciduous woodland.