African elephant vs Water Buffalo

Loxodonta africana compared with Bubalus bubalis

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Water Buffalo is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Water Buffalo
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Proboscidea (Elephants)	Artiodactyla (Artiodátilos)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Bovidae (Bovids)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Bubalus
Species	Loxodonta africana	Bubalus bubalis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Water Buffalo

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Water Buffalo
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.

Water Buffalo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan), Europe (Norway), North America (Cuba), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia).

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.