Koala vs Bastard-Luzerne

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Medicago varia

Key Differences

• Koala is Vulnerable while Bastard-Luzerne is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Koala	Bastard-Luzerne
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Fabales (Schmetterlingsblütenartige)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Fabaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Medicago
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Medicago varia

Conservation Status

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Bastard-Luzerne

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Koala	Bastard-Luzerne
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.

Bastard-Luzerne

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus) and Europe (19 countries).

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.