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 (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Chordata (хордовые)	Mollusca (моллюски)
Class	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Gastropoda (брюхоногие)
Order	Diprotodontia (двурезцовые сумчатые)	Stylommatophora (стебельчатоглазые)
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. (животные)

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

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.