cape hare vs koala

Lepus capensis compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• cape hare is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	cape hare	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (hewan)	Animalia (hewan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mamalia)	Mammalia (mamalia)
Order	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Lepus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Lepus capensis	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

cape hare and koala share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamalia)

Conservation Status

cape hare

LC — Least Concern

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

cape hare

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Italy.

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.

cape hare

The Cape Hare (Lepus capensis) is a species in the genus Lepus. It is currently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia