African elephant vs Chocolate Rim Lichen

Loxodonta africana compared with Protoparmelia badia

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while Chocolate Rim Lichen is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Chocolate Rim Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Parmeliaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Protoparmelia
Species	Loxodonta africana	Protoparmelia badia

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Chocolate Rim Lichen

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Chocolate Rim Lichen
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.

Chocolate Rim Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Chocolate Rim Lichen

The Chocolate Rim Lichen (Protoparmelia badia) is a crustose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, found on exposed siliceous and acid rocks in montane and subalpine environments across Europe, North America, and other temperate and boreal regions. Crustose lichens form a tightly adhering crust directly on rock surfaces and lack the lobed margins of foliose lichens, making them impossible to remove from substrate without destroying the thallus. Protoparmelia badia forms a thin, pale grey to brownish-grey thallus with conspicuous reddish-brown to dark chocolate-brown apothecia (disc-shaped reproductive structures), from which the common name derives. The species is typical of well-lit, clean-air rocky habitats such as mountain summits, upland heathland, and acidic outcrops. Like many lichens, it is a pioneer coloniser of bare rock surfaces and contributes to the initial stages of soil formation. The IUCN classifies P. badia as Near Threatened, reflecting concerns about declining populations linked to air pollution — lichens are renowned biological indicators of air quality, being highly sensitive to sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and ammonia — as well as climate change effects on montane habitats and disturbance from rock climbing and other outdoor recreation.