koala vs Spoke Pepper-Spore Lichen

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Rinodina exigua

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Spoke Pepper-Spore Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Spoke Pepper-Spore Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (животные)	Fungi (грибы)
Phylum	Chordata (хордовые)	Ascomycota (аскомицеты)
Class	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Lecanoromycetes (леканоромицеты)
Order	Diprotodontia (двурезцовые сумчатые)	Caliciales (Caliciales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Physciaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Rinodina
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Rinodina exigua

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Spoke Pepper-Spore Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Spoke Pepper-Spore Lichen
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.

Spoke Pepper-Spore Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States.

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.