Hautsaugwurm vs Koala

Gyrodactylus elegans compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Hautsaugwurm is Not Evaluated while Koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hautsaugwurm	Koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Platyhelminthes (Plattwürmer)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Monogenea (Hakensaugwürmer)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Gyrodactylidea (Gyrodactylidea)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Gyrodactylidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Gyrodactylus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Gyrodactylus elegans	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Hautsaugwurm and Koala share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Hautsaugwurm

NE — Not Evaluated

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hautsaugwurm	Koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hautsaugwurm

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Hautsaugwurm

The body fluke (Gyrodactylus elegans) is a species in the genus Gyrodactylus. Distributed across Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.

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.