African locust-bean vs Asiatic elephant

Parkia biglobosa compared with Elephas maximus

Key Differences

• African locust-bean is Least Concern while Asiatic elephant is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African locust-bean	Asiatic elephant
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Proboscidea (Elephants)
Family	Fabaceae	Elephantidae (Elephants)
Genus	Parkia	Elephas (Asian Elephants)
Species	Parkia biglobosa	Elephas maximus

Conservation Status

African locust-bean

LC — Least Concern

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African locust-bean	Asiatic elephant
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	60 years
Average Length	—	5.5 m
Average Weight	—	4.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

African locust-bean

Habitat

Inhabits mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Asiatic elephant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African locust-bean

The African locust-bean (Parkia biglobosa) is a species in the genus Parkia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Asiatic elephant

Smaller than its African cousin, Asiatic elephants range across South and Southeast Asian forests and grasslands from India to Indonesia. Distinguished by their smaller ears, rounded back, and a single finger-like projection on the trunk tip. Deeply interwoven with Asian cultures, they have been used in religious ceremonies and as working animals for millennia. Endangered, with fewer than 50,000 remaining in the wild.