Asiatic elephant vs brown bear

Elephas maximus compared with Ursus arctos

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while brown bear is Extinct.
• Asiatic elephant is herbivore while brown bear is omnivore.
• Asiatic elephant is 13.3x heavier than brown bear.
• Asiatic elephant lives longer (60 years vs 25 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	brown bear
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Elephas maximus	Ursus arctos

Evolutionary Relationship

Asiatic elephant and brown bear share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

brown bear

EX — Extinct

Population: ~200.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	brown bear
Diet	Herbivore	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	60 years	25 years
Average Length	5.5 m	2.0 m
Average Weight	4.0 t	300.0 kg

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.

brown bear

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

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.

brown bear

The world's most widely distributed bear species, brown bears range from North America and Europe across Russia to Japan, occupying forests, tundra, and alpine meadows. Adults can weigh up to 700 kg in coastal Alaskan populations. Omnivores that consume berries, roots, fish, and carrion, brown bears are a keystone species that distribute nutrients across landscapes. Most populations are stable, though some subspecies are threatened.