Eléphant d'Asie vs
Elephas maximus compared with Cocconeis disculus
Key Differences
- Eléphant d'Asie is Endangered while is Not Evaluated.
Taxonomic Classification
| Rank | Eléphant d'Asie | |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia (animal) | Chromista (Chromista) |
| Phylum | Chordata (Chordates) | Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta) |
| Class | Mammalia (mammifères) | Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae) |
| Order | Proboscidea (Elephants) | Achnanthales (Achnanthales) |
| Family | Elephantidae (Elephants) | Cocconeidaceae |
| Genus | Elephas (Asian Elephants) | Cocconeis |
| Species | Elephas maximus | Cocconeis disculus |
Conservation Status
Eléphant d'Asie
EN — EndangeredPopulation: ~50.0K
Trend: Decreasing ↓
Physical Characteristics
| Attribute | Eléphant d'Asie | |
|---|---|---|
| Diet | Herbivore | — |
| Average Lifespan | 60 years | — |
| Average Length | 5.5 m | — |
| Average Weight | 4.0 t | — |
Habitat & Geographic Range
Eléphant d'Asie
Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.
Distributed across India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.
Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.
Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.
Eléphant d'Asie
Smaller than its African cousin, Asiatic elephants range across South and Southeast Asian forests and grasslands from India to Indonesia. Distinguished by their smaller ears, rounded back, and a single finger-like projection on the trunk tip. Deeply interwoven with Asian cultures, they have been used in religious ceremonies and as working animals for millennia. Endangered, with fewer than 50,000 remaining in the wild.
Cocconeis disculus is a freshwater and brackish-water diatom in the family Cocconeidaceae, belonging to the class Bacillariophyceae—the diatoms, a group of unicellular photosynthetic algae encased in ornate silica cell walls called frustules. Like all members of the genus Cocconeis, C. disculus is an adnate, epiphytic species, meaning it lives attached to substrates—typically the surfaces of aquatic macrophytes, filamentous algae, and sediment particles—rather than living freely in the water column. The frustule of Cocconeis species is distinctive in its bilateral symmetry and the characteristic difference between its two valves: the rapheless valve (RV) lacks the raphe slit present on the raphe valve (RV), a feature used in species identification. Cocconeis disculus has been documented from freshwater bodies across South America and various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with distribution reflecting its tolerance of a range of water temperatures and nutrient conditions. Diatoms like C. disculus are foundational components of aquatic food webs, fixing carbon through photosynthesis and providing a nutritious food source for grazing invertebrates, protists, and larval fish. The species also contributes to the biosilica cycle through the production and dissolution of its silica frustule. As a benthic, substrate-attached organism, Cocconeis disculus serves as a sensitive bioindicator of water quality conditions in freshwater monitoring programs. Its conservation status is not formally evaluated.
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