African elephant vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Ustilago filiformis

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Ustilaginomycetes (Ustilaginomycetes)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Ustilaginales (Ustilaginales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Ustilaginaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Ustilago
Species	Loxodonta africana	Ustilago filiformis

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 Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and United States.

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.

Ustilago filiformis is a smut fungus in the family Ustilaginaceae, an obligate biotroph that infects reed grasses (Glyceria species) and transforms their floral parts into masses of dark teliospores. It manipulates host plant development to create galls in place of normal ovaries, which then disperse the fungal spores. Smut infections by Ustilago species can significantly reduce seed production of their grass hosts.