Ferny Azolla vs Koala

Azolla pinnata compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Ferny Azolla is Least Concern while Koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ferny Azolla	Koala
Kingdom	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Echte Farne)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Salviniales (Schwimmfarnartige)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Salviniaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Azolla	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Azolla pinnata	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Ferny Azolla

LC — Least Concern

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ferny Azolla

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas spanning the Palearctic and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan), North America (Mexico, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Tuvalu).

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.

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.