African buffalo vs African elephant

Syncerus caffer compared with Loxodonta africana

Key Differences

• African buffalo is Near Threatened while African elephant is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African buffalo	African elephant
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Artiodactyla (Artiodátilos)	Proboscidea (Elephants)
Family	Bovidae (Bovids)	Elephantidae (Elephants)
Genus	Syncerus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)
Species	Syncerus caffer	Loxodonta africana

Evolutionary Relationship

African buffalo and African elephant share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamíferos)

Conservation Status

African buffalo

NT — Near Threatened

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African buffalo	African elephant
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	65 years
Average Length	—	6.0 m
Average Weight	—	6.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

African buffalo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

African buffalo

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a species in the genus Syncerus. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. This species inhabits Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

African elephant

O elefante africano, o maior animal terrestre da Terra, pode atingir 7.000 kg e habita savanas, florestas e zonas húmidas da África subsaariana. Com estruturas sociais complexas lideradas por matriarcas, comunica através de infrassons, rugidos e contacto físico. Como engenheiro do ecossistema, modela o habitat arrancando árvores, escavando poços de água e dispersando sementes. Está classificado como Vulnerável (VU), com populações em declínio devido à caça furtiva de marfim e à perda de habitat.