African elephant vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Coelosphaerium subarcticum

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Cyanobacteria (藍藻)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Cyanobacteriia
Order	Proboscidea (ゾウ目)	Cyanobacteriales
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Microcystaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Coelosphaerium
Species	Loxodonta africana	Coelosphaerium subarcticum

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant
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.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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。

Coelosphaerium subarcticum is a colonial planktonic cyanobacterium in the family Merismopediaceae, as its epithet suggests, with distribution records concentrated in subarctic and boreal freshwater environments of Scandinavia, specifically Norway and Sweden. The species forms spherical mucilaginous colonies with peripheral cell arrangement typical of the genus, and its adaptation to cold water temperatures distinguishes it ecologically from congeners that prefer warmer, more eutrophic conditions. Subarctic lakes and ponds are characterised by low temperatures, ice cover for much of the year, and typically oligotrophic to mesotrophic conditions with relatively low nutrient levels. In such settings, cyanobacteria including Coelosphaerium subarcticum contribute to primary production during the ice-free summer season when available light and temperatures support photosynthesis. Gas vesicles in the cells enable buoyancy regulation, allowing colonies to rise toward surface light layers during calm conditions. Arctic and subarctic freshwater ecosystems are among the environments most sensitive to climate-driven changes, with warming temperatures extending the growing season, altering ice regimes, and potentially enabling southerly species to expand northward while cold-adapted taxa face range contraction. No formal IUCN conservation evaluation has been conducted for this species, as is typical for planktonic microorganisms at this taxonomic level.