Asiatic elephant vs Bely Medved

Elephas maximus compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

• Asiatic elephant is Endangered while Bely Medved is Vulnerable.
• Asiatic elephant is herbivore while Bely Medved is carnivore.
• Asiatic elephant is 8.9x heavier than Bely Medved.
• Asiatic elephant lives longer (60 years vs 25 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asiatic elephant	Bely Medved
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)	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Elephas (Asian Elephants)	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Elephas maximus	Ursus maritimus

Evolutionary Relationship

Asiatic elephant and Bely Medved share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (млекопитающие)

Conservation Status

Asiatic elephant

EN — Endangered

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Bely Medved

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asiatic elephant	Bely Medved
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	60 years	25 years
Average Length	5.5 m	2.4 m
Average Weight	4.0 t	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asiatic elephant

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 9 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 India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bely Medved

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Asiatic elephant

Smaller than its African cousin, Asiatic elephants range across South and Southeast Asian forests and grasslands from India to Indonesia. Distinguished by their smaller ears, rounded back, and a single finger-like projection on the trunk tip. Deeply interwoven with Asian cultures, they have been used in religious ceremonies and as working animals for millennia. Endangered, with fewer than 50,000 remaining in the wild.

Bely Medved

The largest land carnivore on Earth, polar bears can exceed 700 kg and are found across Arctic sea ice from Canada to Russia. Highly specialized marine mammals that rely on sea ice to hunt ringed and bearded seals. Excellent swimmers capable of covering vast distances in open water. Listed as Vulnerable, with populations under severe pressure from rapid Arctic sea ice loss due to climate change.