koala vs red kangaroo

Phascolarctos cinereus compared with Macropus rufus

Key Differences

• koala is Vulnerable while red kangaroo is Least Concern.
• red kangaroo is 8.5x heavier than koala.
• red kangaroo lives longer (16 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	koala	red kangaroo
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class same	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order same	Diprotodontia (雙門齒目)	Diprotodontia (雙門齒目)
Family	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)	Macropodidae (Kangaroos)
Genus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)	Macropus (Kangaroos)
Species	Phascolarctos cinereus	Macropus rufus

Evolutionary Relationship

koala and red kangaroo share a common ancestor at the Order level: Diprotodontia. (雙門齒目)

Conservation Status

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

red kangaroo

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~11.5M

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	koala	red kangaroo
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	15 years	16 years
Average Length	75 cm	1.6 m
Average Weight	10.0 kg	85.0 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.

red kangaroo

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found in Australia.

koala

澳大利亚东部和东南部的标志性有袋类动物，体重最大可达15千克，为了节省低热量桉树叶食物所提供的能量，每天最多睡眠22小时。高度特化，能够处理会致大多数其他哺乳动物死亡的有毒桉树成分，拥有专门适应解毒功能的肠道微生物群。因衣原体病、栖息地开发和气候变化导致种群锐减，2022年被列为濒危物种。

red kangaroo

红大袋鼠（Macropus rufus）是地球上最大的袋鼠，也是最大的有袋动物，体高可达2米，体重90千克，栖息于澳大利亚内陆干旱及半干旱地区。高度适应严酷的沙漠环境，能通过从植物中提取水分而长期不饮水。强壮的后腿使其能跳跃9米、以时速70公里奔跑。雄性通过仪式化的搏击争夺雌性。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia