African elephant vs coastal arrow worm

Loxodonta africana compared with Parasagitta setosa

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while coastal arrow worm is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	coastal arrow worm
Kingdom same	Animalia (動物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Chaetognatha (毛顎動物)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Sagittoidea (Sagittoidea)
Order	Proboscidea (ゾウ目)	Aphragmophora (Aphragmophora)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Sagittidae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Parasagitta
Species	Loxodonta africana	Parasagitta setosa

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and coastal arrow worm share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (動物)

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

coastal arrow worm

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	coastal arrow worm
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.

coastal arrow worm

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Russia.

African elephant

地球上最大の陸上動物であるアフリカゾウは体重7,000 kgに達し、サハラ以南のサバンナ、森林、湿地に生息する。成熟した雌が群れを率いる高度に知的な社会構造を持ち、超低周波音やうなり声、接触によって意思疎通する。木を引き倒したり水飲み場を掘ったり種子を散布したりすることで生態系を形成するエンジニア種だが、象牙の密猟や生息地の喪失により個体数は減少しており、危急（VU）とされている。

coastal arrow worm

Parasagitta setosa, the coastal arrow worm, is a chaetognath in the family Sagittidae inhabiting the coastal and neritic waters of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and adjacent North Sea and Baltic Sea, with confirmed records from Denmark, Norway, and Russia. Arrow worms are small, transparent, torpedo-shaped marine invertebrates typically 1–5 centimeters long, and despite their common name, are neither worms nor closely related to any familiar animal group; they form their own phylum, Chaetognatha, comprising around 120 species. Parasagitta setosa is a predatory planktonic species, using stiff bristle-like grasping spines flanking its mouth to seize copepods, small fish larvae, and other zooplankton that form the bulk of its diet. It occupies neritic plankton communities, often occurring in brackish coastal waters and estuaries where many arrow worm species cannot tolerate reduced salinity. The species serves as an important prey item for fish including herring and sprat and functions as a significant link in coastal marine food webs. Arrow worm phylogenetic position has been debated extensively; molecular evidence places them near the base of protostome animals. The species is Not Evaluated by the IUCN, as marine zooplankton populations are rarely assessed due to monitoring challenges.