Éléphant de savane vs Ours brun

Loxodonta africana compared with Ursus arctos

Key Differences

• Éléphant de savane is Vulnerable while Ours brun is Extinct.
• Éléphant de savane is herbivore while Ours brun is omnivore.
• Éléphant de savane is 20.0x heavier than Ours brun.
• Éléphant de savane lives longer (65 years vs 25 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Éléphant de savane	Ours brun
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mammifères)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Loxodonta africana	Ursus arctos

Evolutionary Relationship

Éléphant de savane and Ours brun share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mammifères)

Conservation Status

Éléphant de savane

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Ours brun

EX — Extinct

Population: ~200.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Éléphant de savane	Ours brun
Diet	Herbivore	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	25 years
Average Length	6.0 m	2.0 m
Average Weight	6.0 t	300.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Éléphant de savane

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.

Ours brun

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

Éléphant de savane

The largest land animal on Earth, African elephants can reach 7,000 kg and inhabit sub-Saharan savannas, forests, and wetlands. Highly intelligent with complex social structures led by matriarchs, they communicate through infrasound, rumbles, and touch. As ecosystem engineers, they shape habitats by uprooting trees, digging waterholes, and dispersing seeds. Vulnerable, with populations declining due to ivory poaching and habitat loss.

Ours brun

The world's most widely distributed bear species, brown bears range from North America and Europe across Russia to Japan, occupying forests, tundra, and alpine meadows. Adults can weigh up to 700 kg in coastal Alaskan populations. Omnivores that consume berries, roots, fish, and carrion, brown bears are a keystone species that distribute nutrients across landscapes. Most populations are stable, though some subspecies are threatened.