koala vs Water yam

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Dioscorea alata

Key Differences

koala is Vulnerable while Water yam is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Water yam
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Dioscoreales (อันดับกลอย)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Dioscoreaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Dioscorea
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Dioscorea alata

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Water yam

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Water yam
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.

Water yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (16 countries), Asia (Maldives, Taiwan), Europe (United Kingdom), North America (13 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (4 countries), and South America (6 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.