Asiatic elephant vs grey shoulder-knot

Elephas maximus compared with Lithophane ornitopus

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while grey shoulder-knot is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	grey shoulder-knot
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Noctuidae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Lithophane
Species	Elephas maximus	Lithophane ornitopus

Evolutionary Relationship

Asiatic elephant and grey shoulder-knot share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

grey shoulder-knot

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	grey shoulder-knot
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.

grey shoulder-knot

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, 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.