African boxthorn vs African elephant

Lycium ferocissimum compared with Loxodonta africana

Key Differences

African boxthorn is Not Evaluated while African elephant is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African boxthorn	African elephant
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Proboscidea (Elephants)
Family	Solanaceae	Elephantidae (Elephants)
Genus	Lycium	Loxodonta (African Elephants)
Species	Lycium ferocissimum	Loxodonta africana

Conservation Status

African boxthorn

NE — Not Evaluated

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African boxthorn	African elephant
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	65 years
Average Length	—	6.0 m
Average Weight	—	6.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

African boxthorn

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus), Europe (Italy, Malta), North America (United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand).

African elephant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African boxthorn

The African boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum) is a species in the genus Lycium. This species inhabits Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions, found across Australia, Cyprus, Italy, Malta, and New Zealand.

African elephant

The largest land animal on Earth, African elephants can reach 7,000 kg and inhabit sub-Saharan savannas, forests, and wetlands. Highly intelligent with complex social structures led by matriarchs, they communicate through infrasound, rumbles, and touch. As ecosystem engineers, they shape habitats by uprooting trees, digging waterholes, and dispersing seeds. Vulnerable, with populations declining due to ivory poaching and habitat loss.