Great Cormorant/European Shag vs koala

Phalacrocorax carbo compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Great Cormorant/European Shag is Least Concern while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Great Cormorant/European Shag	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (hayvan)	Animalia (hayvan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Kordalılar)	Chordata (Kordalılar)
Class	Aves (kuş)	Mammalia (memeliler)
Order	Suliformes (Suliformes)	Diprotodontia (İki ön dişliler)
Family	Phalacrocoracidae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Phalacrocorax	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Phalacrocorax carbo	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Great Cormorant/European Shag and koala share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Kordalılar)

Conservation Status

Great Cormorant/European Shag

LC — Least Concern

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Great Cormorant/European Shag	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Great Cormorant/European Shag

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Israel), Europe (7 countries), and North America (United States).

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.

Great Cormorant/European Shag

Great Cormorant/European Shag (Phalacrocorax carbo) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

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.