African elephant vs Clouded Leopard

Loxodonta africana compared with Neofelis nebulosa

Key Differences

• African elephant is herbivore while Clouded Leopard is carnivore.
• African elephant is 300.0x heavier than Clouded Leopard.
• African elephant lives longer (65 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Clouded Leopard
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Proboscidea (хоботные)	Carnivora (хищные)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Neofelis (Clouded Leopards)
Species	Loxodonta africana	Neofelis nebulosa

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and Clouded Leopard share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (млекопитающие)

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Clouded Leopard

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~10.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Clouded Leopard
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	15 years
Average Length	6.0 m	1.0 m
Average Weight	6.0 t	20.0 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.

Clouded Leopard

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African elephant

The largest land animal on Earth, African elephants can reach 7,000 kg and inhabit sub-Saharan savannas, forests, and wetlands. Highly intelligent with complex social structures led by matriarchs, they communicate through infrasound, rumbles, and touch. As ecosystem engineers, they shape habitats by uprooting trees, digging waterholes, and dispersing seeds. Vulnerable, with populations declining due to ivory poaching and habitat loss.

Clouded Leopard

A medium-sized wild cat weighing up to 26 kg, clouded leopards inhabit tropical and subtropical forests from the eastern Himalayas through Southeast Asia to Borneo. Named for their distinctive cloud-like coat markings, they possess the longest canine teeth relative to skull size of any wild cat and are exceptional climbers able to descend trees headfirst. Vulnerable due to deforestation, though the total population remains poorly known.