African elephant vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Methanococcus maripaludis

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Archaea (Archaea)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Methanobacteriota_A
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Methanococci (Methanococci)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Methanococcales (Methanococcales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Methanococcaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Methanococcus
Species	Loxodonta africana	Methanococcus maripaludis

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

NE — Not Evaluated

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.

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.

Methanococcus maripaludis is a mesophilic, hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaeon in the family Methanococcaceae, isolated from salt marsh sediments. It has become an important model organism for studying methanogenesis, archaeal metabolism, and gene regulation due to well-developed genetic tools available for this species. It produces methane by reducing carbon dioxide with hydrogen under strictly anaerobic conditions.