African elephant vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Collema furfuraceum

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Peltigerales (Peltigerales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Collemataceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Collema
Species	Loxodonta africana	Collema furfuraceum

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant
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.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, 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.

<em>Collema furfuraceum</em> is a species belonging to the genus <em>Collema</em>, a group of cyanolichens that form symbiotic associations between fungi and cyanobacteria. This species is classified as Extinct, representing one of the more severe conservation outcomes for organisms in its taxonomic group. Historical records indicate its presence across several European nations, including Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, suggesting it once occupied a reasonably broad range within the continent. The habitats it occupied were consistent with those favored by cyanolichens, typically moist, shaded substrates such as bark, rock faces, or soil in areas with high humidity and low disturbance. Dietary ecology, as applicable to a lichen, involves photosynthetic and nitrogen-fixing activity carried out by its cyanobacterial partner rather than active foraging. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The extinction of <em>Collema furfuraceum</em> underscores the vulnerability of lichen-forming organisms to habitat degradation, changes in air quality, and loss of old-growth forest environments.