Koala vs Pale Milkcap

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Lactarius pallidus

Key Differences

• Koala is Vulnerable while Pale Milkcap is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Koala	Pale Milkcap
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Fungi (Pilze)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Basidiomycota (Ständerpilze)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Russulales (Täublingsartige)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Russulaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Lactarius
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Lactarius pallidus

Conservation Status

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Pale Milkcap

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Koala	Pale Milkcap
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.

Pale Milkcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, 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.