Coastal Paper-bark vs gray wolf

Melaleuca halmaturorum compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• Coastal Paper-bark is Least Concern while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Paper-bark	gray wolf
Kingdom	Plantae (plantas)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Myrtales (Myrtales)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Myrtaceae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Melaleuca	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Melaleuca halmaturorum	Canis lupus

Conservation Status

Coastal Paper-bark

LC — Least Concern

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Paper-bark	gray wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Paper-bark

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Coastal Paper-bark

Coastal paper-bark (Melaleuca halmaturorum) is a shrub or small tree in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Australia, particularly South Australia and southwestern Victoria. It grows in coastal and inland saline environments, including salt marshes, samphire flats, brackish wetlands, and the margins of ephemeral lakes. The species is highly salt-tolerant, often forming dense thickets that provide critical habitat for waterbirds, including migratory shorebirds. Its distinctive bark peels in papery layers, a hallmark of the Melaleuca genus, while small white bottlebrush-like flowers attract native insects and honeyeaters. Reaching up to 5 metres in height, it can persist through seasonal flooding and drought cycles. Coastal paper-bark plays an important ecological role in stabilising saline soils, reducing erosion along shorelines, and filtering nutrients from adjacent agricultural land. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, reflecting its wide distribution across southern Australia. It is also cultivated as an ornamental in gardens tolerant of poor drainage and is considered valuable for ecological restoration in degraded coastal wetlands.

gray wolf

O lobo-cinzento (Canis lupus), o canídeo selvagem mais amplamente distribuído, ocorre da América do Norte à Eurásia em habitats diversos, incluindo tundra, florestas e pradarias. São animais altamente sociais que vivem em matilhas familiares lideradas por um casal reprodutor dominante. Como predadores-chave, os lobos regulam as populações de presas e moldam profundamente a estrutura do ecossistema, como demonstrou sua reintrodução em Yellowstone. Antes muito perseguidos, as populações estão se recuperando em muitas regiões.