African forest elephant vs Lion

Loxodonta cyclotis compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• African forest elephant is Critically Endangered while Lion is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African forest elephant	Lion
Kingdom same	Animalia (động vật)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum same	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class same	Mammalia (lớp Thú)	Mammalia (lớp Thú)
Order	Proboscidea (Bộ Có vòi)	Carnivora (bộ Ăn thịt)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Loxodonta cyclotis	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

African forest elephant and Lion share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (lớp Thú)

Conservation Status

African forest elephant

CR — Critically Endangered

Lion

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African forest elephant	Lion
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	2.5 m
Average Weight	—	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African forest elephant

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Lion

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 7 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African forest elephant

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is a species in the genus Loxodonta. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Lion

The largest wild cat in Africa, lions reach up to 250 kg and are the only social felids, living in prides across sub-Saharan savannas and grasslands. Males are distinguished by their iconic manes. As apex predators, they regulate herbivore populations and maintain ecosystem balance. Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.