koala vs

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Postia lowei

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Polyporales (Polyporales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Dacryobolaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Postia
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Postia lowei

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

NE — Not Evaluated

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

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

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.

Postia lowei is a soft, white to cream-colored bracket fungus forming annual, shelf-like fruiting bodies on decaying conifer wood. It inhabits boreal and montane coniferous forests, growing on dead fallen logs and stumps. This brown-rot saprotrophic fungus decomposes the cellulose of conifer wood, leaving characteristic brown cubical rot.