African elephant vs chimpanzee

Loxodonta africana compared with Pan troglodytes

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while chimpanzee is Endangered.
• African elephant is herbivore while chimpanzee is omnivore.
• African elephant is 120.0x heavier than chimpanzee.
• African elephant lives longer (65 years vs 45 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	chimpanzee
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)	Pan (Chimpanzees)
Species	Loxodonta africana	Pan troglodytes

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

chimpanzee

EN — Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	chimpanzee
Diet	Herbivore	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	45 years
Average Length	6.0 m	1.2 m
Average Weight	6.0 t	50.0 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.

chimpanzee

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

Distributed across Cameroon, Congo (DRC), Guinea, Tanzania, and Uganda. Currently classified as 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.

chimpanzee

O chimpanzé-comum (Pan troglodytes) é o primata não humano mais próximo geneticamente dos humanos, compartilhando 98,7% do DNA. Habita florestas tropicais e savanas arborizadas da África Ocidental e Central. Vive em comunidades sociais complexas com hierarquia clara. Utiliza ferramentas como paus para extrair cupins e pedras para quebrar nozes. Possui rica comunicação gestual e vocal. Classificado como espécie em risco, ameaçado pela caça, perda de habitat e doenças.