Common box vs Jirafa

Buxus sempervirens compared with Giraffa camelopardalis

Key Differences

Common box is Not Evaluated while Jirafa is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common box	Jirafa
Kingdom	Plantae (planta)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Buxales (Buxales)	Artiodactyla (artiodáctilos)
Family	Buxaceae	Giraffidae (Giraffes)
Genus	Buxus	Giraffa (Giraffes)
Species	Buxus sempervirens	Giraffa camelopardalis

Conservation Status

Common box

NE — Not Evaluated

Jirafa

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~117.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common box	Jirafa
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	25 years
Average Length	—	5.5 m
Average Weight	—	1.2 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common box

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya, Sao Tome and Principe), Asia (Armenia, India, Taiwan), Europe (15 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador).

Jirafa

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Ecuador. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common box

The common box (<em>Buxus sempervirens</em>) is a slow-growing evergreen shrub or small tree with one of the widest distributions of any species in its genus, occurring across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. It typically inhabits diverse terrestrial ecosystems, from limestone hillsides and rocky slopes to woodland understories and cultivated gardens. The common box has not been formally evaluated on the IUCN Red List. Long valued in horticulture and topiary, this species is widely cultivated and naturalized far beyond its native range in southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Its dense, hard wood is among the heaviest produced by any European tree, historically used for woodworking and engraving. The species often forms dense thickets in natural settings, providing important shelter for invertebrates and small vertebrates. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Jirafa

La jirafa (Giraffa camelopardalis) es el animal terrestre más alto de la Tierra, puede alcanzar 5,5 metros de altura y pesar hasta 1.750 kg. Su elongado cuello, que contiene las mismas siete vértebras cervicales que todos los mamíferos, evolucionó para alimentarse de acacias en sabanas y bosques africanos. Animal social que vive en manadas sueltas, se comunica mediante infrasonidos y lenguaje corporal. Clasificada como Vulnerable debido a la pérdida de hábitat y la caza furtiva.