vs koala

Exiguobacterium antarcticum compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		koala
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Firmicutes (Firmicutes)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Bacilli (Bacilli)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Exiguobacterales	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Exiguobacteraceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Exiguobacterium	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Exiguobacterium antarcticum	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

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.

Exiguobacterium antarcticum is a psychrotolerant Gram-positive bacterium isolated from Antarctic environments, capable of growing at temperatures near freezing. It inhabits cold Antarctic soils, sediments, and ice-associated environments. This species is of scientific interest as a model organism for understanding cold-adaptation in bacteria and producing cold-active enzymes with biotechnological applications.

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.