koala vs Weeping Paperbark

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Melaleuca leucadendra

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Weeping Paperbark is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Weeping Paperbark
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)
Order	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)	Myrtales (อันดับชมพู่)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Myrtaceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Melaleuca
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Melaleuca leucadendra

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Weeping Paperbark

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Weeping Paperbark
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.

Weeping Paperbark

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa), Asia (India, Laos), North America (Dominican Republic), and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Suriname).

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.