African elephant vs African payal

Loxodonta africana compared with Salvinia auriculata

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while African payal is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	African payal
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Salviniales (Salviniales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Salviniaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Salvinia
Species	Loxodonta africana	Salvinia auriculata

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

African payal

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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 payal

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Bangladesh, Thailand), Europe (5 countries), North America (Cuba, Dominican Republic), and South America (4 countries).

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.

African payal

The African payal (Salvinia auriculata) is a species in the genus Salvinia. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm.