African elephant vs small tortoiseshell

Loxodonta africana compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Arthropoda (artrópode)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Insecta (inseto)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Aglais
Species	Loxodonta africana	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	small tortoiseshell
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 tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

small tortoiseshell

A borboleta-urtiga-pequena (Aglais urticae) esta classificada como Quase Ameacada (NT) na Lista Vermelha da UICN. Proxima de se qualificar como ameacada, com populacoes que podem se tornar vulneraveis sem acoes de conservacao.