African elephant vs Bornean orangutan

Loxodonta africana compared with Pongo pygmaeus

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while Bornean orangutan is Critically Endangered.
• African elephant is herbivore while Bornean orangutan is omnivore.
• African elephant is 80.0x heavier than Bornean orangutan.
• African elephant lives longer (65 years vs 35 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	Bornean orangutan
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class same	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Proboscidea (长鼻目)	Primates (灵长目)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Hominidae (Great Apes)
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Pongo (Orangutans)
Species	Loxodonta africana	Pongo pygmaeus

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and Bornean orangutan share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (哺乳動物)

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Bornean orangutan

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~104.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	Bornean orangutan
Diet	Herbivore	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	65 years	35 years
Average Length	6.0 m	1.4 m
Average Weight	6.0 t	75.0 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.

Bornean orangutan

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 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Indonesia and Malaysia. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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。

Bornean orangutan

婆罗洲猩猩是世界上最大的树栖哺乳动物，体重可达90公斤，一生大部分时间在婆罗洲的雨林树冠中度过。它们独居、半游牧，在树上筑夜间休息巢，以果实、叶片和无脊椎动物为食。由于棕榈油扩张导致的森林砍伐和非法狩猎，其种群在过去60年间减少了50%以上，被列为极度濒危物种。