Clustered Sedge vs koala

Carex glareosa compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clustered Sedge	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (พืช)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order	Poales (อันดับหญ้า)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Cyperaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Carex	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Carex glareosa	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Clustered Sedge

VU — Vulnerable

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clustered Sedge	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clustered Sedge

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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.

Clustered Sedge

Carex glareosa, the clustered sedge or gravel sedge, is a perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae distributed across the circumpolar Arctic and subarctic zones of the northern hemisphere, growing in coastal and inland wetlands, salt marshes, brackish meadows, mudflats, gravelly tundra, and low-lying areas subject to periodic flooding. The species forms dense tufts or loose colonies, producing narrow, grass-like leaves and small spikelets characteristic of the genus Carex. C. glareosa is adapted to saline and brackish conditions in coastal habitats, as well as to freshwater wetlands in more continental settings. Like other Arctic sedges, it is an important component of tundra and wetland plant communities that provide habitat and forage for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and Arctic mammals. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with concern focused on the impacts of climate change on Arctic and subarctic wetland habitats, where rising temperatures, permafrost thaw, altered hydrology, and increased shrub encroachment threaten specialized wetland plant communities.

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.