Dark flying fox vs koala

Pteropus subniger compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Dark flying fox is Extinct while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark flying fox	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Chiroptera (рукокрылые)	Diprotodontia (двурезцовые сумчатые)
Family	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Pteropus subniger	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Dark flying fox and koala share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (млекопитающие)

Conservation Status

Dark flying fox

EX — Extinct

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark flying fox	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark flying fox

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

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.