African elephant vs Cobberas Grevillea

Loxodonta africana compared with Grevillea brevifolia

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Cobberas Grevillea
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Proteales (Proteales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Proteaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Grevillea
Species	Loxodonta africana	Grevillea brevifolia

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Cobberas Grevillea

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Cobberas Grevillea
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.

Cobberas Grevillea

Habitat

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

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.

Cobberas Grevillea

Cobberas grevillea (Grevillea brevifolia) is a low-growing, spreading shrub in the family Proteaceae, endemic to a restricted area in the Cobberas–Tingarringy region of the Victorian Alps and adjacent New South Wales ranges in southeastern Australia. It grows in subalpine to montane heath and rocky outcrops at elevations above 1,000 metres, where it is associated with snowpatch vegetation and exposed rocky ridgelines. The species produces small, narrow leaves and clusters of red and cream spider-like flowers typical of the diverse genus Grevillea, which is one of the largest genera in the Proteaceae family. Flowers are an important nectar source for honeyeaters and insects during the short alpine summer. Cobberas grevillea is assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, reflecting its extremely restricted range of only a few square kilometres of suitable habitat and vulnerability to altered fire regimes, climate change—which is shifting snowpack dynamics and vegetation zones upward—and disturbance from feral horses, which damage subalpine vegetation through grazing and trampling. Conservation measures include habitat monitoring within alpine national parks and management of introduced herbivores.