koala vs Northern Dusky Slug

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Arion fuscus

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Northern Dusky Slug is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Northern Dusky Slug
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Mollusca (Moluscos)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Gastropoda (Gastrópodes)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Arionidae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Arion
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Arion fuscus

Evolutionary Relationship

koala and Northern Dusky Slug share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Northern Dusky Slug

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Northern Dusky Slug
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.

Northern Dusky Slug

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries).

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.