Asiatic elephant vs
Elephas maximus compared with Clitopilus passeckerianus
Key Differences
- Asiatic elephant is Endangered while is Not Evaluated.
Taxonomic Classification
| Rank | Asiatic elephant | |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia (Animals) | Fungi (Fungi) |
| Phylum | Chordata (Chordates) | Basidiomycota (Club Fungi) |
| Class | Mammalia (Mammals) | Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms) |
| Order | Proboscidea (Elephants) | Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms) |
| Family | Elephantidae (Elephants) | Entolomataceae |
| Genus | Elephas (Asian Elephants) | Clitopilus |
| Species | Elephas maximus | Clitopilus passeckerianus |
Conservation Status
Asiatic elephant
EN — EndangeredPopulation: ~50.0K
Trend: Decreasing ↓
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
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.
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.
Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.
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.
Clitopilus passeckerianus is a white-rot agaric fungus in the family Entolomataceae notable for its role as a natural producer of pleuromutilin, a diterpenoid antibiotic compound that serves as the biosynthetic precursor for the veterinary and human antibiotic drugs tiamulin and valnemulin, used to treat Mycoplasma infections in livestock. First described from European woodland habitats, the species produces the characteristic Clitopilus fruiting body: a pale, whitish cap with decurrent, crowded gills becoming pinkish at maturity from angular spores, and a farinaceous odor. Its antibiotic-producing capacity makes C. passeckerianus of significant pharmaceutical interest, and biosynthetic studies of pleuromutilin production have informed synthetic chemistry approaches to antibiotic development. The species inhabits temperate deciduous woodland floors in Europe, fruiting in autumn among leaf litter. Discovery of its pleuromutilin biosynthetic pathway has opened avenues for heterologous expression and semi-synthetic modification aimed at developing novel antibiotics to counter antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.
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