Living BeingsCompare species
Sacred Lotus
Nelumbo nucifera
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 | Sacred Lotus | African Savanna Elephant |
|---|---|---|
| Physical traits | Rounded green to bluish-green leaves are carried on stalks. The familiar flowers can be pink and are borne singly. | 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 | Freshwater ponds and other still-water settings provide waterlogged soil in which the rhizomes grow. Strong light supports its photosynthetic foliage. | 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 | Like other green flowering plants, lotus obtains energy through photosynthesis rather than by absorbing food from mud. Roots supply water and minerals. | Grasses, leaves, bark and other plant material make up its diet. The trunk gathers food and moves it to the mouth. |
| Behavior and activity | Data unavailable | 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 | The plant can reproduce from seeds and spread vegetatively through rhizomes. A planted patch therefore need not consist of many independent seedlings. | 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 Asia and northeastern Australia and cultivated widely beyond that region. | Native to sub-Saharan Africa. This account follows the savanna-elephant species concept rather than treating all African elephants as one species. |
| Ecological role | Emergent foliage adds structure to shallow freshwater habitat. Its cultural importance and cultivated distribution should not be mistaken for evidence that it is native everywhere it grows. | Feeding and movement alter vegetation, and dung transfers seeds and nutrients. Habitat fragmentation and killing for ivory threaten populations. |
| Distinctive adaptations | Underground rhizomes provide a persistent storage and growth organ beneath the seasonal leaves and flowers. | Data unavailable |
Classification
Shared ancestry
Closest shared taxon: Eukaryota.