koala vs Rootless Duckweed

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Wolffia arrhiza

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Rootless Duckweed is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Rootless Duckweed
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Alismatales (อันดับขาเขียด)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Araceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Wolffia
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Wolffia arrhiza

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Rootless Duckweed

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Rootless Duckweed
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.

Rootless Duckweed

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Oceanian and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Endangered 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.