Asiatic elephant vs koala

Elephas maximus compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

  • Asiatic elephant is Endangered while koala is Vulnerable.
  • Asiatic elephant is 400.0x heavier than koala.
  • Asiatic elephant lives longer (60 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Asiatic elephant koala
Kingdom same Animalia (動物) Animalia (動物)
Phylum same Chordata (脊索動物) Chordata (脊索動物)
Class same Mammalia (哺乳類) Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order Proboscidea (ゾウ目) Diprotodontia (カンガルー目)
Family Elephantidae (Elephants) Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus Elephas (Asian Elephants) Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species Elephas maximus Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Asiatic elephant and koala share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (哺乳類)

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Asiatic elephant koala
Diet Herbivore Herbivore
Average Lifespan 60 years 15 years
Average Length 5.5 m 75 cm
Average Weight 4.0 t 10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asiatic elephant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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.

Asiatic elephant

アジアゾウ(Elephas maximus)はアフリカゾウに比べて小型で、インドから東南アジア・インドネシアに至る森林・草原に生息する。アフリカゾウより小さな耳・丸みのある背・鼻先の1本の指状突起などの形態的特徴を持ち、アジアの文化・宗教と深く結びついており、古来より使役動物・神事に用いられてきた。IUCNレッドリストでは絶滅危惧(EN)に分類されており、野生の個体数は5万頭を下回る。

koala

オーストラリア東部・南東部を代表する有袋類で、体重は最大15kgに達し、低カロリーのユーカリの葉食から得るエネルギーを節約するために1日最大22時間を睡眠に費やす。他の哺乳類の多くを死に至らしめる有毒なユーカリ成分を処理するために高度に特化しており、解毒に特別に適応した腸内微生物叢を持つ。クラミジア感染症、生息地の伐採、気候変動により個体数が激減し、2022年に絶滅危惧種に指定された。

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