African elephant vs Common Yellow Oxalis

Loxodonta africana compared with Oxalis stricta

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while Common Yellow Oxalis is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Common Yellow Oxalis
Kingdom	Animalia (동물)	Plantae (식물)
Phylum	Chordata (척삭동물)	Magnoliophyta (피자식물문)
Class	Mammalia (포유류)	Magnoliopsida (목련강)
Order	Proboscidea (장비목)	Oxalidales (괭이밥목)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Oxalidaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Oxalis
Species	Loxodonta africana	Oxalis stricta

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Common Yellow Oxalis

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Common Yellow Oxalis
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.

Common Yellow Oxalis

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia, Turkey), Europe (33 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

African elephant

아프리카코끼리(Loxodonta africana)는 지구상에서 가장 큰 육상 동물로, 최대 7,000 kg에 달하며 사하라 이남 아프리카의 사바나, 삼림, 습지에 서식한다. 뛰어난 지능을 가지며, 모계를 중심으로 한 복잡한 사회 구조를 이루고 초저주파음, 울음소리, 촉각을 통해 의사소통한다. 나무를 쓰러뜨리고 물웅덩이를 파며 씨앗을 산포하는 생태계 엔지니어로, 현재 취약(VU) 종으로 분류되며 상아 밀렵과 서식지 손실로 인해 개체수가 감소하고 있다.

Common Yellow Oxalis

<em>Oxalis stricta</em>, the common yellow oxalis or upright yellow wood sorrel, is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant in the family Oxalidaceae. It is native to North America but has been widely naturalized across Europe, Asia, Australia, and other temperate regions, where it occurs as a common weed of gardens, cultivated land, roadsides, and disturbed ground. The plant typically grows 10–40 cm tall and produces trifoliate clover-like leaves with three heart-shaped leaflets that fold downward at night or under bright sunlight, a response known as nyctinasty. Bright yellow five-petaled flowers are borne on slender stalks from spring through autumn. Seed pods explode at maturity to disperse seeds over short distances, contributing to the plant's effectiveness as a colonizer. Biological traits such as precise average lifespan and body measurements remain poorly documented in consolidated literature. <em>Oxalis stricta</em> contains oxalic acid, which gives the plant a sour taste and can be mildly toxic to livestock in large quantities. It provides nectar for small pollinators. The species has not been formally evaluated for IUCN conservation status but is abundant and widespread globally, with no conservation concerns.