# Koala (*Phascolarctos cinereus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/koala  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a species in the family Phascolarctidae, order Diprotodontia. Recorded adults live up to 10 years. It has been recorded in 10 countries, most often in Australia, Japan and United States. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 10 years |
| Main food | leaf |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 37 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 10 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Diprotodontia
- family: Phascolarctidae
- genus: Phascolarctos
- species: *Phascolarctos cinereus* (Goldfuss, 1817)

Synonyms: *Lipurus cinereus*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

Australia (414133), Japan (50), United States (39), Netherlands (2), Germany (1), Northern Mariana Islands (1), Nigeria (1), Norway (1), New Zealand (1), Russia (1)

## Common questions

### Where does the koala live?

The koala has openly licensed sighting records from 10 countries on GBIF. The most records come from Australia, Japan, United States, Netherlands and Germany. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the koala endangered?

The koala is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

### What does the koala eat?

Its recorded main food is leaf.

### How long does the koala live?

The koala has a recorded lifespan of 10 years.

### How long is the koala pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 37 days.

### What kind of animal is the koala?

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) belongs to the family Phascolarctidae in the order Diprotodontia.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/koala