koala vs pink mountain heather

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Phyllodoce empetriformis

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while pink mountain heather is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	pink mountain heather
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Annelida (Segmented Worms)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polychaeta (Polychaeta)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Phyllodocida (Phyllodocida)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Phyllodocidae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Phyllodoce
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Phyllodoce empetriformis

Evolutionary Relationship

koala and pink mountain heather share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

pink mountain heather

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	pink mountain heather
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.

pink mountain heather

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Canada.

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.