Elefante de Sabana vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Coelosphaerium subarcticum

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) Cyanobacteria (Cyanobacteria)
Class Mammalia (mamíferos) Cyanobacteriia
Order Proboscidea (Elephants) Cyanobacteriales
Family Elephantidae (Elephants) Microcystaceae
Genus Loxodonta (African Elephants) Coelosphaerium
Species Loxodonta africana Coelosphaerium subarcticum

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 Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Coelosphaerium subarcticum is a colonial planktonic cyanobacterium in the family Merismopediaceae, as its epithet suggests, with distribution records concentrated in subarctic and boreal freshwater environments of Scandinavia, specifically Norway and Sweden. The species forms spherical mucilaginous colonies with peripheral cell arrangement typical of the genus, and its adaptation to cold water temperatures distinguishes it ecologically from congeners that prefer warmer, more eutrophic conditions. Subarctic lakes and ponds are characterised by low temperatures, ice cover for much of the year, and typically oligotrophic to mesotrophic conditions with relatively low nutrient levels. In such settings, cyanobacteria including Coelosphaerium subarcticum contribute to primary production during the ice-free summer season when available light and temperatures support photosynthesis. Gas vesicles in the cells enable buoyancy regulation, allowing colonies to rise toward surface light layers during calm conditions. Arctic and subarctic freshwater ecosystems are among the environments most sensitive to climate-driven changes, with warming temperatures extending the growing season, altering ice regimes, and potentially enabling southerly species to expand northward while cold-adapted taxa face range contraction. No formal IUCN conservation evaluation has been conducted for this species, as is typical for planktonic microorganisms at this taxonomic level.

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