koala vs Small Adder's-Tongue

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Ophioglossum azoricum

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Small Adder's-Tongue is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Small Adder's-Tongue
Kingdom	Animalia (प्राणी)	Plantae (पादप)
Phylum	Chordata (रज्जुकी)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (स्तनधारी)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Diprotodontia (डाएप्रोटोडोंटिया)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Ophioglossum
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Ophioglossum azoricum

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Small Adder's-Tongue

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Small Adder's-Tongue
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.

Small Adder's-Tongue

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.