koala vs smooth giant clam

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Tridacna derasa

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	smooth giant clam
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Cardiida (Cardiida)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Cardiidae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Tridacna
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Tridacna derasa

Evolutionary Relationship

koala and smooth giant clam share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

smooth giant clam

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	smooth giant clam
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.

smooth giant clam

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Oceanian biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Marshall Islands and Taiwan. 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.