Maus-Opossum vs Koala

Gracilinanus aceramarcae compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Maus-Opossum is Least Concern while Koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Maus-Opossum	Koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class same	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Didelphimorphia (Beutelrattenartige)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Didelphidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Gracilinanus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Gracilinanus aceramarcae	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Maus-Opossum and Koala share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Säugetiere)

Conservation Status

Maus-Opossum

LC — Least Concern

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Maus-Opossum	Koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Maus-Opossum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Maus-Opossum

The Aceramarca Gracile Opossum (Gracilinanus aceramarcae) is a species in the genus Gracilinanus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It typically inhabits diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.