AnimalsThe koala is a marsupial, not a bear. It lives in eucalyptus trees and eats almost nothing but their leaves, which are tough and low in energy. That is why it sleeps for most of the day.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Phascolarctos cinereus
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Herbivore (eats plants)
- Lives in
- Eastern Australia
- Habitat
- Eucalyptus forest
- A young one is called
- joey
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Diprotodontia
- Family Phascolarctidae
- Genus Phascolarctos
- Species Phascolarctos cinereus
More distant relatives in the order Diprotodontia: red kangaroo.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The koala is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.