Panda géant vs koala

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Panda géant is 10.0x heavier than koala.
• Panda géant lives longer (20 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Panda géant	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mammifères)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Carnivora (carnivores)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Panda géant and koala share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mammifères)

Conservation Status

Panda géant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Panda géant	koala
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	20 years	15 years
Average Length	1.5 m	75 cm
Average Weight	100.0 kg	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Panda géant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in China. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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.

Panda géant

Iconic black-and-white bear of the mountain bamboo forests of central China, giant pandas can weigh up to 125 kg and spend up to 14 hours daily consuming bamboo, which comprises 99% of their diet despite belonging to the order Carnivora. Solitary and elusive, they have a pseudo-thumb for gripping bamboo stems. Downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016 following successful conservation and breeding programs.

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.