African elephant vs Backwater butterfly ray

Loxodonta africana compared with Gymnura natalensis

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while Backwater butterfly ray is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Backwater butterfly ray
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Gymnuridae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Gymnura
Species	Loxodonta africana	Gymnura natalensis

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and Backwater butterfly ray share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (cordados)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Backwater butterfly ray

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Backwater butterfly ray
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.

Backwater butterfly ray

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.