African elephant vs Great White Pelican

Loxodonta africana compared with Pelecanus onocrotalus

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Great White Pelican is Not Evaluated.
• African elephant is herbivore while Great White Pelican is carnivore.
• African elephant is 600.0x heavier than Great White Pelican.
• African elephant lives longer (65 years vs 30 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Great White Pelican
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Pelecanidae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Pelecanus
Species	Loxodonta africana	Pelecanus onocrotalus

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and Great White Pelican share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Great White Pelican

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Great White Pelican
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	30 years
Average Length	6.0 m	1.6 m
Average Weight	6.0 t	10.0 kg

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.

Great White Pelican

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (9 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.

Great White Pelican

One of the world's largest pelicans, great white pelicans have wingspans reaching 3.6 meters and inhabit shallow lakes and wetlands across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Social birds breeding in large colonies and foraging cooperatively — groups of pelicans corral fish into shallow water before scooping them in their expandable throat pouches. Their pouches can hold up to 13 liters of water. Listed as Least Concern globally with stable populations.