African elephant vs Gold-Foot Fern

Loxodonta africana compared with Phlebodium aureum

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while Gold-Foot Fern is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Gold-Foot Fern
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Proboscidea (อันดับช้าง)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Polypodiaceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Phlebodium
Species	Loxodonta africana	Phlebodium aureum

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Gold-Foot Fern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Gold-Foot Fern
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.

Gold-Foot Fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Mauritius, South Africa), Europe (Belgium, Portugal), North America (Cuba, United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.