African elephant vs small-seed alfalfa dodder

Loxodonta africana compared with Cuscuta planiflora

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while small-seed alfalfa dodder is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	small-seed alfalfa dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Solanales (Solanales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Cuscuta
Species	Loxodonta africana	Cuscuta planiflora

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

small-seed alfalfa dodder

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	small-seed alfalfa dodder
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.

small-seed alfalfa dodder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Asia (India) and Europe (8 countries).

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.