African elephant vs Bornean orangutan

Loxodonta africana compared with Pongo pygmaeus

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Bornean orangutan is Critically Endangered.
• African elephant is herbivore while Bornean orangutan is omnivore.
• African elephant is 80.0x heavier than Bornean orangutan.
• African elephant lives longer (65 years vs 35 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Bornean orangutan
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Primates (primatas)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Hominidae (Great Apes)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Pongo (Orangutans)
Species	Loxodonta africana	Pongo pygmaeus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Bornean orangutan

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~104.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Bornean orangutan
Diet	Herbivore	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	35 years
Average Length	6.0 m	1.4 m
Average Weight	6.0 t	75.0 kg

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.

Bornean orangutan

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 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Indonesia and Malaysia. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Bornean orangutan

O maior mamífero arborícola do mundo, os orangotangos-de-bornéu pesam até 90 kg e passam a maior parte de suas vidas no dossel da floresta pluvial de Bornéu. Solitários e semi-nômades, constroem ninhos para dormir à noite nas árvores e se alimentam de frutas, folhas e invertebrados. Criticamente Em Perigo, com populações tendo diminuído mais de 50% nos últimos 60 anos devido ao desmatamento causado pela expansão do óleo de palma e pela caça ilegal.