African elephant vs common blow flie

Loxodonta africana compared with Calliphora vicina

Key Differences

• African elephant is Vulnerable while common blow flie is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African elephant	common blow flie
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Arthropoda (节肢动物门)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Insecta (昆蟲綱)
Order	Proboscidea (长鼻目)	Diptera (雙翅目)
Family	Elephantidae (Elephants)	Calliphoridae
Genus	Loxodonta (African Elephants)	Calliphora
Species	Loxodonta africana	Calliphora vicina

Evolutionary Relationship

African elephant and common blow flie share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (动物界)

Conservation Status

African elephant

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~415.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

common blow flie

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African elephant	common blow flie
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.

common blow flie

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States).

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。

common blow flie

The common blow fly (<em>Calliphora vicina</em>) is a large, metallic-blue fly belonging to the family Calliphoridae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and has been recorded across terrestrial and freshwater habitats in Africa, including South Africa, as well as across five European countries and the United States. <em>Calliphora vicina</em> is one of the most familiar blow fly species in temperate regions, often found around human settlements, carrion, and organic waste. It plays an important ecological role as an early colonizer of decomposing animal matter, and its predictable developmental stages make it a key species in forensic entomology for estimating post-mortem intervals. Adults typically feed on nectar, pollen, and decaying matter, while larvae develop in carrion or, occasionally, in wounds. The species is cold-tolerant and often active during cool weather when other blow flies are less abundant. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.