African elephant vs Dromedary Camel

Loxodonta africana compared with Camelus dromedarius

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Dromedary Camel is Not Evaluated.
• African elephant is 10.0x heavier than Dromedary Camel.
• African elephant lives longer (65 years vs 40 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Dromedary Camel
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Proboscidea (хоботные)	Artiodactyla (парнокопытные)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Camelidae (Camels)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Camelus (Camels)
Species	Loxodonta africana	Camelus dromedarius

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Dromedary Camel

NE — Not Evaluated

Population: ~15.0M

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Dromedary Camel
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	40 years
Average Length	6.0 m	2.3 m
Average Weight	6.0 t	600.0 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.

Dromedary Camel

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Sudan.

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.

Dromedary Camel

The dromedary is the single-humped camel, domesticated over 4,000 years ago. The hump stores fat, not water.