Elefante de Sabana vs Common Ladies' Tresses

Loxodonta africana compared with Spiranthes cernua

Key Differences

• Elefante de Sabana is Vulnerable while Common Ladies' Tresses is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elefante de Sabana	Common Ladies' Tresses
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (planta)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Asparagales (Asparagales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Orchidaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Spiranthes
Species	Loxodonta africana	Spiranthes cernua

Conservation Status

Elefante de Sabana

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Common Ladies' Tresses

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elefante de Sabana	Common Ladies' Tresses
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.

Common Ladies' Tresses

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, and United States.

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.

Common Ladies' Tresses

Common Ladies' Tresses (<em>Spiranthes cernua</em>) is a terrestrial orchid in the family Orchidaceae, native to North America and parts of Europe. Its range includes Belgium, Canada, and the United States, where it typically grows in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes. The species is characterized by a spiral arrangement of small white flowers along a slender stem, giving rise to the common name. It typically favors moist, open habitats including wet meadows, stream banks, bogs, and the margins of ponds, though it also occurs in drier grasslands and open woodlands. As an orchid, it depends on mycorrhizal fungi for germination and early establishment. Its conservation status has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN. Common Ladies' Tresses is considered a late-season bloomer in temperate North America and is valued as an indicator of high-quality natural habitats where it persists. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.