What is the largest species of koala?

Answer 1

There is only one species of koala.

Koalas from southern Australia are larger than those found in the north, but they are still the same species.

There is only one species of koala (Phascolarctus Cinereus), and some disagreement about whether there are two or three sub-species, or indeed, whether there are any sub-species at all.

According to the Australian Koala Foundation the generally accepted sub-species are:

• Phascolarctos Cinereus adustus - Northern Australia/Queensland
• Phascolarctos Cinereus cinereus - Intermediate/New South Wales
• Phascolarctos Cinereus victor - Southern/Victorian

Koalas of the southern varieties are larger than their northern counterparts, while their fur also tends to be thicker, darker and more brown than grey.

Answer 2

As of 2013, koalas are not officially endangered. Current population estimates by the Australian Koala Foundation put the figure at around 80,000, but the trend seems to be dropping. Although the koala is not endangered, on 30 April 2012, the federal government moved to include koalas on the list of threatened species. The 'threatened' designation only applied to the most at-risk populations in Queensland, NSW and the ACT.

Furthermore, there is only one main species of koala (Phascolarctus Cinereus), and some disagreement about whether there are two or three sub-species, or indeed, whether there are any sub-species at all.

According to the Australian Koala Foundation, the generally accepted sub-species are:

• Phascolarctos Cinereus adustus - Northern Australia/Queensland
• Phascolarctos Cinereus cinereus - Intermediate/New South Wales
• Phascolarctos Cinereus victor - Southern/Victorian