Asiatic elephant vs Bornean Water Shrew

Elephas maximus compared with Chimarrogale phaeura

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	Bornean Water Shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (प्राणी)	Animalia (प्राणी)
Phylum same	Chordata (रज्जुकी)	Chordata (रज्जुकी)
Class same	Mammalia (स्तनधारी)	Mammalia (स्तनधारी)
Order	Proboscidea (प्रोबोसीडिया)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Soricidae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Chimarrogale
Species	Elephas maximus	Chimarrogale phaeura

Evolutionary Relationship

Asiatic elephant and Bornean Water Shrew share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (स्तनधारी)

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Bornean Water Shrew

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	Bornean Water Shrew
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	60 years	—
Average Length	5.5 m	—
Average Weight	4.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asiatic elephant

Habitat

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.

Range

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.

Bornean Water Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Asiatic elephant

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.

Bornean Water Shrew

The Bornean Water Shrew (Chimarrogale phaeura) is a species in the genus Chimarrogale. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.