African elephant vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Phacus hamelii

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Protozoa (protozoa)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Euglenozoa (Euglenozoa)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Euglenoidea (Euglenoidea)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Euglenida (Euglenida)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Phacidae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Phacus
Species	Loxodonta africana	Phacus hamelii

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.

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Denmark, and Taiwan.

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.

Phacus hamelii is a unicellular, photosynthetic euglenoid alga with a flattened, asymmetric cell body containing chloroplasts and a distinctive posterior tail-like extension. It inhabits freshwater environments including ponds, ditches, and slow-moving water bodies rich in organic matter. Like other Phacus species, it uses a flagellum for locomotion and can perform both photosynthesis and heterotrophic feeding.