vs koala

Comatricha laxa compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		koala
Kingdom	Protozoa (Động vật nguyên sinh)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum	Mycetozoa	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class	Myxomycetes (Myxomycetes)	Mammalia (lớp Thú)
Order	Stemonitidales	Diprotodontia (Thú hai răng trước)
Family	Stemonitidaceae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Comatricha	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Comatricha laxa	Phascolarctos cinereus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and South America (Brazil).

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.

Comatricha laxa is a plasmodial slime mold in the class Myxomycetes, order Stemonitidales, with a documented distribution spanning Asia, Europe, and South America. As a member of the genus Comatricha, it forms stalked sporangia with a characteristic capillitium that forms a loose, open network aiding spore dispersal. The species inhabits rotting logs, dead bark, and moist leaf litter in forested environments where conditions support the plasmodial feeding stage. The plasmodium is a multinucleate, macroscopic structure that migrates over substrates to engulf bacteria and other microorganisms. Geographic range data confirm a wide cosmopolitan distribution in suitable habitats across three continents. C. laxa contributes to decomposition and nutrient cycling in woodland ecosystems. No quantitative biological metrics such as body size or mass are applicable to this organism, and it has not been evaluated by the IUCN.

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.