Asiatic elephant vs

Elephas maximus compared with Chroococcus cumulatus

Key Differences

  • Asiatic elephant is Endangered while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Asiatic elephant
Kingdom Animalia (Animals) Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum Chordata (Chordates) Cyanobacteria (Cyanobacteria)
Class Mammalia (Mammals) Cyanobacteriia
Order Proboscidea (Elephants) Cyanobacteriales
Family Elephantidae (Elephants) Microcystaceae
Genus Elephas (Asian Elephants) Chroococcus
Species Elephas maximus Chroococcus cumulatus

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Asiatic elephant
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.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Chroococcus cumulatus is a cyanobacterium in the family Chroococcaceae, found in freshwater and semi-aquatic habitats. Members of the genus Chroococcus are among the simplest organized cyanobacteria, consisting of spherical cells that divide by binary fission to form pairs or tetrads held together within layered gelatinous sheaths. Cyanobacteria are cosmopolitan prokaryotes that carry out oxygenic photosynthesis using pigments including chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, and phycoerythrin. Chroococcus species occur in diverse aquatic habitats ranging from standing freshwater bodies to damp soil surfaces, rock faces, and tree bark in humid environments. The genus has historically been characterized primarily on the basis of cell size, sheath structure, and colony organization, though molecular analysis has increasingly revealed cryptic diversity within morphologically defined groups. Chroococcus cumulatus has been documented from northern European freshwater habitats. As a microscopic prokaryote, it has not been assessed by the IUCN, and its ecological role centers on primary production at the base of aquatic food webs in its habitat.

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia