African elephant vs Black Dot of Potatoes

Loxodonta africana compared with Colletotrichum coccodes

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Black Dot of Potatoes is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Black Dot of Potatoes
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Glomerellales (Glomerellales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Glomerellaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Colletotrichum
Species	Loxodonta africana	Colletotrichum coccodes

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Black Dot of Potatoes

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Black Dot of Potatoes
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.

Black Dot of Potatoes

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, and Sweden.

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.

Black Dot of Potatoes

The Black Dot of Potatoes (Colletotrichum coccodes) is a species in the genus Colletotrichum. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, and Sweden.