Living BeingsCompare species
Dyeing Poison Frog
Dendrobates tinctorius
African Savanna Elephant
Loxodonta africana
How to compare two organisms
Choose two species and trace their closest shared group. Then compare a trait with the same definition on each side. Check the units, life stage and context before interpreting a measurement or range.
Missing data means that the collection lacks a sourced value. Where a characteristic does not apply to a lineage, the comparison labels it separately. Open the two profiles for context and follow their sources before drawing a conclusion.
Evidence from the profiles
Compare their characteristics
| Trait | Dyeing Poison Frog | African Savanna Elephant |
|---|---|---|
| Physical traits | Different populations have different combinations of blue, yellow and black. The blue animal illustrated here represents one color form, rather than the appearance of every member of the species. | Broad ears, a long trunk and column-like legs give the animal its familiar outline. The trunk tip has two finger-like projections. Both sexes can develop tusks. |
| Habitat and range | Humid forest provides leaf litter, fallen wood and water-filled cavities. Canopy gaps can create valuable breeding opportunities. | Savannas and open woodland provide a shifting mixture of browse, grass, shade and drinking water. Seasonal water availability influences the places that herds use. |
| Diet and nutrition | Data unavailable | Grasses, leaves, bark and other plant material make up its diet. The trunk gathers food and moves it to the mouth. |
| Behavior and activity | Adults move and forage during daylight. Courtship and competition occur within a small-scale landscape of shelters and suitable pools. | Female relatives and their young form long-lasting social groups. Older females hold knowledge of familiar routes and resources; adult males have a different pattern of association. |
| Reproduction and life cycle | Eggs develop outside open water. Males carry hatched tadpoles to small aquatic nurseries; choosing a pool matters because tadpoles can cannibalize one another. | Calves are born alive and depend on milk and extended social care. Learning from other elephants is an important part of growing up. |
| Geographic distribution | Native to the Guiana Shield region of northern South America. The cited field studies document populations in French Guiana. | Native to sub-Saharan Africa. This account follows the savanna-elephant species concept rather than treating all African elephants as one species. |
| Ecological role | Use of plant-held water links terrestrial adults to aquatic larval habitats. Pool availability and the presence of other tadpoles influence reproductive decisions. | Feeding and movement alter vegetation, and dung transfers seeds and nutrients. Habitat fragmentation and killing for ivory threaten populations. |
| Distinctive adaptations | Parental transport allows larvae to reach isolated water bodies that they could not reach from the egg site themselves. | Data unavailable |
Classification
Shared ancestry
Closest shared taxon: Tetrapoda.