koala vs Scaly Stalkball

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Tulostoma melanocyclum

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Scaly Stalkball is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Scaly Stalkball
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Tulostoma
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Tulostoma melanocyclum

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Scaly Stalkball

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Scaly Stalkball
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.

Scaly Stalkball

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered 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.