Coast Indigo vs koala

Indigofera miniata compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

Coast Indigo is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coast Indigo	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (planta)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Fabaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Indigofera	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Indigofera miniata	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Coast Indigo

LC — Least Concern

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coast Indigo	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coast Indigo

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Cuba.

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.

Coast Indigo

Coast indigo (Indigofera miniata) is a perennial herb or subshrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the coastal scrub, pine barrens, and sandy grasslands of Cuba and the broader Caribbean region. Like other members of the genus Indigofera, it produces compound pinnate leaves and racemes of small, pea-type flowers, though in this species the flowers are notably small and pinkish to reddish. The genus Indigofera is best known for Indigofera tinctoria, the source of natural indigo dye, but most species including Indigofera miniata have not been commercially exploited for dye production. Coast indigo grows in open, sunny, often disturbed habitats including sandy coastal plains, roadsides, and degraded scrubland, benefiting from its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through root nodule bacteria—a common trait in the legume family. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern, reflecting its ability to persist in disturbed and marginal coastal habitats across the Caribbean. Regional populations are affected by coastal development and vegetation clearance but are not considered globally threatened.

koala

Icónico marsupial del este y sureste de Australia, los koalas pesan hasta 15 kg y pasan hasta 22 horas diarias durmiendo para conservar energía de su dieta de hojas de eucalipto, baja en calorías. Altamente especializados para procesar los compuestos tóxicos del eucalipto que matarían a la mayoría de los demás mamíferos, poseen microbiomas intestinales únicamente adaptados para la desintoxicación. Clasificado como En Peligro en 2022, con poblaciones diezmadas por la enfermedad de clamidia, la deforestación y el cambio climático.