Balkan Yam vs koala

Dioscorea balcanica compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Balkan Yam is Near Threatened while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Yam	koala
Kingdom	Plantae (bitki)	Animalia (hayvan)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Kordalılar)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (memeliler)
Order	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)	Diprotodontia (İki ön dişliler)
Family	Dioscoreaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Dioscorea	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Dioscorea balcanica	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

Balkan Yam

NT — Near Threatened

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Yam	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Yam

Habitat

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

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.

Balkan Yam

The Balkan Yam (Dioscorea balcanica) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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.