African elephant vs Asian watermeal

Loxodonta africana compared with Wolffia globosa

Key Differences

African elephant is Vulnerable while Asian watermeal is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Asian watermeal
Kingdom	Animalia (动物界)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Magnoliophyta (木兰植物门)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Liliopsida (百合纲)
Order	Proboscidea (长鼻目)	Alismatales (泽泻目)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Araceae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Wolffia
Species	Loxodonta africana	Wolffia globosa

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Asian watermeal

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Asian watermeal
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.

Asian watermeal

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Angola), Asia (Singapore, Taiwan), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

African elephant

非洲象是地球上体型最大的陆地动物，体重可达7,000千克，栖息于撒哈拉以南非洲的草原、稀树草原和森林中。作为关键种，它们通过挖掘水源、传播种子和改变植被结构，深刻塑造了其栖息地的生态系统。受栖息地丧失和象牙盗猎威胁，非洲象的保护至关重要。

Asian watermeal

The Asian watermeal (Wolffia globosa) is a species in the genus Wolffia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Widely distributed across Africa (Angola), Asia (Singapore, Taiwan), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).