African elephant vs Club-fruited Cola

Loxodonta africana compared with Cola clavata

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Club-fruited Cola is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Club-fruited Cola
Kingdom	Animalia (hewan)	Plantae (tumbuhan)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamalia)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Malvales (Malvales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Malvaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Cola
Species	Loxodonta africana	Cola clavata

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Club-fruited Cola

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Club-fruited Cola
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	65 years	—
Average Length	6.0 m	—
Average Weight	6.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

African elephant

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.

Club-fruited Cola

Habitat

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

African elephant

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.

Club-fruited Cola

Cola clavata is a tropical tree in the family Malvaceae (formerly Sterculiaceae) native to the rainforests of West and Central Africa. The genus Cola comprises approximately 125 species, mostly trees and shrubs distributed across the African continent, and is well known for the caffeine-containing cola nut (C. nitida and C. acuminata) used in traditional ceremonies and as a flavoring. C. clavata is named for its club-shaped fruits, which are follicular. Like other Cola species, it is an understory to mid-canopy tree of lowland and submontane tropical rainforest. The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting ongoing habitat loss due to deforestation for agriculture, logging, and human settlement in its West and Central African range countries. African rainforests harbor exceptional tree diversity, and many cola species have restricted ranges within specific forest blocks. Pollinators of Cola species are poorly understood but likely include small insects attracted to the apetalous flowers that lack petals and instead have colorful sepals. Propagation and ex situ conservation of C. clavata have not been widely pursued, underscoring the importance of protecting its remaining forest habitat.