Koala vs Gilbender Rasling

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Lyophyllum aemiliae

Key Differences

• Koala is Vulnerable while Gilbender Rasling is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Koala	Gilbender Rasling
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Fungi (Pilze)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Basidiomycota (Ständerpilze)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Agaricales (Champignonartige)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Lyophyllaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Lyophyllum
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Lyophyllum aemiliae

Conservation Status

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Gilbender Rasling

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Koala	Gilbender Rasling
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.

Gilbender Rasling

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across 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.

Gilbender Rasling

Lyophyllum aemiliae is a rare, clustered mushroom growing in dense tufts with pale to greyish-brown caps and crowded gills. It inhabits nutrient-rich soils in temperate European forests and woodland edges. This saprotrophic to weakly parasitic fungus decomposes soil organic matter and is considered critically rare in European mycological assessments.