Common Oak Fern vs koala

Gymnocarpium dryopteris compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Common Oak Fern is Critically Endangered while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Oak Fern	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (plantas)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Cystopteridaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Gymnocarpium	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Gymnocarpium dryopteris	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Common Oak Fern

CR — Critically Endangered

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Oak Fern	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Oak Fern

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Critically 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.

Common Oak Fern

<em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em>, the common oak fern, is a delicate terrestrial fern in the family Cystopteridaceae (or Woodsiaceae, depending on classification). Despite its common name, the species is not specifically associated with oak trees; rather, it typically grows in cool, moist, shaded environments including boreal and mixed forests, rocky woodland slopes, stream banks, and shaded cliff faces. <em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em> spreads by rhizomes and forms low, spreading colonies with characteristic triangular, three-pinnate fronds that emerge from a slender creeping rootstock. Its geographic range spans Europe and North America, with populations in cool temperate and boreal zones. The species is currently assessed as Critically Endangered in certain regional assessments, suggesting that particular populations face severe decline, likely due to habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and altered hydrology, even if the species retains a broader global range. Biological traits such as lifespan, body size, and diet remain poorly documented at a standardized population level. <em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em> is a characteristic indicator of undisturbed cool woodland habitats and is valued for both its ecological role in forest understoreys and its aesthetic appeal.

koala

Icônico marsupial do leste e sudeste da Austrália, os coalas pesam até 15 kg e passam até 22 horas diárias dormindo para conservar energia de sua dieta de folhas de eucalipto, com baixo teor calórico. Altamente especializados para processar os compostos tóxicos do eucalipto que matariam a maioria dos outros mamíferos, possuem microbiomas intestinais unicamente adaptados para a destoxificação. Classificado como Em Perigo em 2022, com populações dizimadas pela doença de clamídia, desmatamento e mudanças climáticas.