Common dung beetle vs koala

Aphodius fimetarius compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Common dung beetle is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common dung beetle	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Arthropoda (arthropodes)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (insecte)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Scarabaeidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Aphodius	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Aphodius fimetarius	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common dung beetle and koala share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (animal)

Conservation Status

Common dung beetle

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common dung beetle	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common dung beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

Common dung beetle

Common dung beetle (Aphodius fimetarius) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

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.