Elefante de Sabana vs
Loxodonta africana compared with Cocconeis placentula
Key Differences
- Elefante de Sabana is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.
Taxonomic Classification
| Rank | Elefante de Sabana | |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia (Animals) | Chromista (Chromista) |
| Phylum | Chordata (cordados) | Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta) |
| Class | Mammalia (mamíferos) | Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae) |
| Order | Proboscidea (Elephants) | Achnanthales (Achnanthales) |
| Family | Elephantidae (Elephants) | Cocconeidaceae |
| Genus | Loxodonta (African Elephants) | Cocconeis |
| Species | Loxodonta africana | Cocconeis placentula |
Conservation Status
Elefante de Sabana
VU — VulnerablePopulation: ~415.0K
Trend: Decreasing ↓
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
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.
Found in Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.
Native to Asia and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.
Distributed across Brazil, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and 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.
Cocconeis placentula is among the most ubiquitous and widely studied freshwater and brackish-water diatoms worldwide, serving as a model organism for periphyton ecology and a key species in biological assessment of water quality. A member of the family Cocconeidaceae, this adnate epiphyte produces a characteristic ovoid frustule with fine transapical striae, a well-developed raphe system on one valve, and an elaborate pattern of areolae visible under electron microscopy. The species complex encompasses several morphological varieties (var. placentula, var. lineata, var. euglypta, var. acuta) that differ in fine structural details of the valve ornamentation. Cocconeis placentula colonizes the surfaces of aquatic plants, algae, rocks, and sediment particles in rivers, lakes, and ponds across a vast global range spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and beyond, tolerating a wide range of water temperatures, pH values, and moderate nutrient enrichment. Its abundance varies dramatically with substrate type, light availability, and water chemistry, making community composition data involving this species valuable in diatom-based paleolimnological reconstructions and modern bioassessment indices. As a benthic primary producer, C. placentula contributes substantially to the productivity of the photic benthos and serves as a dietary component for invertebrate grazers. Its remarkable cosmopolitan distribution and ecological flexibility make it one of the defining species of freshwater periphyton communities globally. Conservation status is not formally assessed.
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