Asiatic elephant vs Chinese Agarwood

Elephas maximus compared with Aquilaria sinensis

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while Chinese Agarwood is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	Chinese Agarwood
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Malvales (Malvales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Thymelaeaceae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Aquilaria
Species	Elephas maximus	Aquilaria sinensis

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Chinese Agarwood

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	Chinese Agarwood
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.

Chinese Agarwood

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.

Chinese Agarwood

The Chinese Agarwood (Aquilaria sinensis) is a species in the genus Aquilaria. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.