Asiatic elephant vs Blackstem Spleenwort

Elephas maximus compared with Asplenium resiliens

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while Blackstem Spleenwort is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	Blackstem Spleenwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Aspleniaceae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Asplenium
Species	Elephas maximus	Asplenium resiliens

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Blackstem Spleenwort

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	Blackstem Spleenwort
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	60 years	—
Average Length	5.5 m	—
Average Weight	4.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Blackstem Spleenwort

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and United States.

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.

Blackstem Spleenwort

The Blackstem Spleenwort (Asplenium resiliens) is a species in the genus Asplenium. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.