Koala vs Western Thyme Plume

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Merrifieldia tridactyla

Key Differences

• Koala is Vulnerable while Western Thyme Plume is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Koala	Western Thyme Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Pterophoridae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Merrifieldia
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Merrifieldia tridactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

Koala and Western Thyme Plume share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Western Thyme Plume

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Koala	Western Thyme Plume
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.

Western Thyme Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Asia (5 countries) and Europe (28 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.