koala vs Krauss' spikemoss

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Selaginella kraussiana

Key Differences

koala is Vulnerable while Krauss' spikemoss is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Krauss' spikemoss
Kingdom	Animalia (животные)	Plantae (растения)
Phylum	Chordata (хордовые)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Lycopodiopsida (Плауновые)
Order	Diprotodontia (двурезцовые сумчатые)	Selaginellales (Селагинелловые)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Selaginellaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Selaginella
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Selaginella kraussiana

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Krauss' spikemoss

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Krauss' spikemoss
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.

Krauss' spikemoss

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and Oceania, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (Jamaica, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Brazil).

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.