koala vs Scaly Earthball

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Scleroderma verrucosum

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Scaly Earthball is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Scaly Earthball
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Fungi (เห็ดรา)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Boletales (Boletales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Sclerodermataceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Scleroderma
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Scleroderma verrucosum

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Scaly Earthball

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Scaly Earthball
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.

Scaly Earthball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) 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.