African elephant vs

Loxodonta africana compared with Clitocybe amarescens

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Tricholomataceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Clitocybe
Species	Loxodonta africana	Clitocybe amarescens

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant
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.

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Clitocybe amarescens is a small, bitter-tasting agaric fungus in the family Tricholomataceae distributed across Northwestern and Northern Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The specific epithet amarescens reflects the notably bitter flavor of the fruiting bodies, a characteristic that distinguishes it from some closely related Clitocybe species. The cap is typically whitish to pale greyish, smooth, with decurrent gills characteristic of the genus, and fruits in woodland margins, grassy clearings, and other semi-open habitats during autumn months. Like other Clitocybe species, it is a saprotrophic fungus contributing to decomposition of leaf litter and organic debris. The bitter taste likely serves as a deterrent against invertebrate predation. The species is assessed as Least Concern across its European range but, like other fungi of unimproved grasslands and forest margins, remains potentially sensitive to habitat changes driven by agricultural intensification, fertilizer application, and loss of structurally diverse woodland edges across Scandinavia and Western Europe.