Elefante de Sabana vs chittamwood

Loxodonta africana compared with Cotinus obovatus

Key Differences

Elefante de Sabana is Vulnerable while chittamwood is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elefante de Sabana	chittamwood
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (planta)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Sapindales (Sapindales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Anacardiaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Cotinus
Species	Loxodonta africana	Cotinus obovatus

Conservation Status

Elefante de Sabana

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

chittamwood

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elefante de Sabana	chittamwood
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.

chittamwood

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.

chittamwood

Chittamwood or American Smoke Tree (Cotinus obovatus) is a large shrub or small deciduous tree in the family Anacardiaceae, native to scattered limestone outcrops and rocky woodlands across the south-central United States, occurring disjunctly in Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. It is closely related to the ornamental European Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria), and like its relative, it produces spectacular autumnal foliage in brilliant shades of orange, red, and purple. The common name smoke tree or chittamwood refers to the large, feathery, smoky-looking inflorescences produced by the many elongated, pedicellate sterile flowers of the fruit cluster, which create a hazy, cloud-like appearance over the plant in late spring and summer. The trunk and branches exude a yellow-orange dye historically used by Native American peoples for colouring textiles and leather. Cotinus obovatus grows on thin, dry, calcareous soils where competition from larger forest trees is limited, often on south-facing slopes and cedar glades. Its naturally fragmented distribution has ecological significance as a refugia species on harsh substrates. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern; while rare across much of its range, it is locally abundant in favourable habitats. It is valued horticulturally for its outstanding autumn colour and drought tolerance.