Asiatic elephant vs Common Nut Truffle

Elephas maximus compared with Hymenogaster vulgaris

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while Common Nut Truffle is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	Common Nut Truffle
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Fungi (菌界)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Basidiomycota (担子菌門)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Agaricomycetes (真正担子菌綱)
Order	Proboscidea (ゾウ目)	Agaricales (ハラタケ目)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Hymenogastraceae
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Hymenogaster
Species	Elephas maximus	Hymenogaster vulgaris

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Common Nut Truffle

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	Common Nut Truffle
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.

Common Nut Truffle

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States.

Asiatic elephant

アジアゾウ（Elephas maximus）はアフリカゾウに比べて小型で、インドから東南アジア・インドネシアに至る森林・草原に生息する。アフリカゾウより小さな耳・丸みのある背・鼻先の1本の指状突起などの形態的特徴を持ち、アジアの文化・宗教と深く結びついており、古来より使役動物・神事に用いられてきた。IUCNレッドリストでは絶滅危惧（EN）に分類されており、野生の個体数は5万頭を下回る。

Common Nut Truffle

<em>Hymenogaster vulgaris</em>, the common nut truffle, is a hypogeous (below-ground) fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae, order Agaricales. This sequestrate species produces enclosed, truffle-like fruiting bodies that mature underground and rely primarily on small mammals and invertebrates for spore dispersal, as the sporocarps never open to release spores aerially. <em>Hymenogaster vulgaris</em> typically forms ectomycorrhizal associations with hardwood tree species, particularly oaks and beeches, in temperate European forests. Its geographic range includes Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and the United States, reflecting a somewhat scattered distribution across temperate zones. The species is currently assessed as Data Deficient by the IUCN, indicating that insufficient information exists to evaluate its conservation status, likely because hypogeous fungi are difficult to survey and their population trends are poorly known. Biological traits such as lifespan, body size, and diet remain poorly documented for this species. As an ectomycorrhizal fungus, <em>Hymenogaster vulgaris</em> plays a critical role in facilitating nutrient uptake in host trees and supporting forest health across its temperate range.