koala vs soft shield-fern

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Polystichum setiferum

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while soft shield-fern is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	soft shield-fern
Kingdom	Animalia (प्राणी)	Plantae (पादप)
Phylum	Chordata (रज्जुकी)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (स्तनधारी)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Diprotodontia (डाएप्रोटोडोंटिया)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Dryopteridaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Polystichum
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Polystichum setiferum

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

soft shield-fern

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	soft shield-fern
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.

soft shield-fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.