Koala vs orange cup coral

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Tubastraea coccinea

Key Differences

• Koala is Vulnerable while orange cup coral is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Koala	orange cup coral
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Cnidaria (Nesseltiere)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Anthozoa
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Scleractinia (Steinkorallen)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Dendrophylliidae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Tubastraea
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Tubastraea coccinea

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

orange cup coral

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Koala	orange cup coral
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.

orange cup coral

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (6 countries), Asia (8 countries), North America (8 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Samoa), and South America (Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela).

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.