Elefante de Sabana vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Chitinophaga rupis

Key Differences

Elefante de Sabana is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elefante de Sabana
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Bacteroidota (Bacteroidota)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Bacteroidia (Bacteroidia)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Chitinophagales (Chitinophagales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Chitinophagaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Chitinophaga
Species	Loxodonta africana	Chitinophaga rupis

Conservation Status

Elefante de Sabana

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elefante de Sabana
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	65 years	—
Average Length	6.0 m	—
Average Weight	6.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elefante de Sabana

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable 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.

Elefante de Sabana

El elefante africano, el animal terrestre más grande de la Tierra, puede alcanzar 7.000 kg y habita sabanas, bosques y humedales del África subsahariana. Con estructuras sociales complejas lideradas por matriarcas, se comunica mediante infrasonidos, rugidos y contacto físico. Como ingeniero del ecosistema, modela su hábitat arrancando árboles, excavando aguadas y dispersando semillas. Está catalogado como Vulnerable, con poblaciones en declive por la caza furtiva de marfil y la pérdida de hábitat.

Chitinophaga rupis is a member of the genus Chitinophaga within the family Chitinophagaceae, a lineage of Gram-negative, gliding bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidota. Species of Chitinophaga are ecologically important soil inhabitants defined by their capacity to enzymatically hydrolyse chitin, the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth. The name rupis, derived from Latin for rock or cliff, reflects the substrate from which this species was originally isolated. Like congeners, C. rupis possesses genes encoding chitinase enzymes that break down chitin from fungal walls and arthropod cuticle, releasing nitrogen and carbon into the soil environment and contributing to decomposition and nutrient cycling processes essential to terrestrial ecosystem function. The genus typically exhibits gliding motility on solid substrates, does not form spores, and is strictly aerobic under laboratory conditions. Members are widespread in soils globally, though individual species often show geographic or substrate-specific distribution patterns linked to their isolation source. Chitinophaga rupis is not assessed by the IUCN — as a bacterium it falls outside the scope of wildlife conservation listings. However, understanding the diversity and function of such soil bacteria is increasingly recognised as important for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management, given their roles in decomposition, nutrient cycling, and suppression of soil-borne fungal pathogens.