brown-throated three-toed sloth vs koala

Bradypus variegatus compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• brown-throated three-toed sloth is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.
• koala is 2.5x heavier than brown-throated three-toed sloth.
• brown-throated three-toed sloth lives longer (30 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	brown-throated three-toed sloth	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Pilosa (неполнозубые)	Diprotodontia (двурезцовые сумчатые)
Family	Bradypodidae (Three-toed Sloths)	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Bradypus (Three-toed Sloths)	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Bradypus variegatus	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

brown-throated three-toed sloth and koala share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (млекопитающие)

Conservation Status

brown-throated three-toed sloth

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	brown-throated three-toed sloth	koala
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	30 years	15 years
Average Length	60 cm	75 cm
Average Weight	4.0 kg	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

brown-throated three-toed sloth

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

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.

brown-throated three-toed sloth

One of the world's slowest mammals, brown-throated three-toed sloths hang inverted in the rainforest canopy of Central and South America, moving at an average speed of 0.24 km/h. Their low metabolic rate is a key adaptation to their nutrient-poor leaf diet. Algae growing in their fur provides camouflage and may harbor symbiotic fungi with antimicrobial properties. Moths, beetles, and fungi form a miniature ecosystem within sloth fur.

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.