African forest elephant vs Gharial

Loxodonta cyclotis compared with Gavialis gangeticus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African forest elephant	Gharial
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Crocodylia (Crocodilians)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Crocodylidae (Crocodiles)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Crocodylus (True Crocodiles)
Species	Loxodonta cyclotis	Gavialis gangeticus

Evolutionary Relationship

African forest elephant and Gharial share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

African forest elephant

CR — Critically Endangered

Gharial

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~650

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African forest elephant	Gharial
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	60 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African forest elephant

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Gharial

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across India and Nepal. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African forest elephant

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is a species in the genus Loxodonta. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Gharial

The gharial is a fish-eating crocodilian with a distinctive long, narrow snout. It is critically endangered with fewer than 700 adults.