koala vs Ruffled Freckle Pelt Lichen

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Peltigera leucophlebia

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while Ruffled Freckle Pelt Lichen is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	Ruffled Freckle Pelt Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (hayvan)	Fungi (mantar)
Phylum	Chordata (Kordalılar)	Ascomycota (Asklı mantarlar)
Class	Mammalia (memeliler)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Diprotodontia (İki ön dişliler)	Peltigerales (Peltigerales)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Peltigeraceae
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Peltigera
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Peltigera leucophlebia

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Ruffled Freckle Pelt Lichen

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	Ruffled Freckle Pelt Lichen
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.

Ruffled Freckle Pelt Lichen

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.