Asiatic elephant vs

Elephas maximus compared with Sphingopyxis granuli

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Proteobacteria (Proteobacteria)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Alphaproteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Sphingomonadales (Sphingomonadales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Sphingomonadaceae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Sphingopyxis
Species	Elephas maximus	Sphingopyxis granuli

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 Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

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.

Sphingopyxis granuli is a Gram-negative alphaproteobacterium in the family Sphingomonadaceae, characterized by its yellow-pigmented colonies and the presence of sphingolipids in its membrane—a trait shared across the family. It was isolated from granule-associated material and is aerobic, rod-shaped, and motile. Sphingopyxis species are common in soils, freshwater, and plant-associated environments.