koala vs Scaly Dog-Lichen

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Peltigera praetextata

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Scaly Dog-Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Scaly Dog-Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (hewan)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (mamalia)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Peltigerales (Peltigerales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Peltigeraceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Peltigera
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Peltigera praetextata

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Scaly Dog-Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Scaly Dog-Lichen
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.

Scaly Dog-Lichen

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (United States).

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.