Asiatic elephant vs

Elephas maximus compared with Pyrenula nitida

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Eurotiomycetes (Eurotiomycetes)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Pyrenulales (Pyrenulales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Pyrenulaceae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Pyrenula
Species	Elephas maximus	Pyrenula nitida

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

EN — Endangered

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 and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Pyrenula nitida is a corticolous crustose lichen producing a smooth, glossy olive-green to brown thallus with embedded, flask-shaped perithecia on smooth bark of ancient broadleaf trees in humid Atlantic woodland. It is considered a flagship indicator species for long-continuity, old-growth woodland in western Europe. Endangered, this lichen is severely threatened by the loss of veteran trees and ancient woodland habitats.