Indischer Elefant vs Salento Iris

Elephas maximus compared with Iris revoluta

Key Differences

• Indischer Elefant is Endangered while Salento Iris is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Indischer Elefant	Salento Iris
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order	Proboscidea (Rüsseltiere)	Mantodea (Fangschrecken)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Eremiaphilidae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Iris
Species	Elephas maximus	Iris revoluta

Evolutionary Relationship

Indischer Elefant and Salento Iris share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Indischer Elefant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Salento Iris

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Indischer Elefant	Salento Iris
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	60 years	—
Average Length	5.5 m	—
Average Weight	4.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Indischer Elefant

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.

Salento Iris

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Indischer Elefant

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.