Scientific Naming

Makira flying fox

Scientific classification: 

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Chiroptera Pteropodidae Pteropus cognatus

Cross River gorilla

Scientific classification:

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Primates Hominidae Gorilla gorilla [s.s.] diehli

Pygamy hippopotamus 

Scientific classification:

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Artiodactyla Hippopotamidae Choeropsis liberiensis

West African lion

Scientific classification: 

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Felidae Panthera leo [s.s.] P. I. senegalensis

African elephant 

Scientific classification: 

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Proboscidea Elephantidae Loxodonta africana

Similarities and Differences of KPCOFGS

All of the organisms I chose are in the kingdom Animalia. All five also share the same phylum which is Chordata, and the same class which is Mammalia (humans are also part of the same classifications). I unintentionally picked mammals and learned that the defining characteristics of a mammal are their ability to grow hair, give live birth, and the females have mammary glands for their babies. Additionally, all mammals are warm blooded. The animals share the phylum chordata which means they have a notochord/ vertebral column, dorsal nerve chord, post anal-tail/anus, close circulatory system, myotomes, pharyngeal slits/ pharynx+ esophagus. 

Question:

Why don't the African animals have more similarities? Were they meant to live somewhere else but adapted? Or were they created to live in Africa and will support following genetic diversity (eventually share more similarities)?