Loxodonta africana vs elephant

Loxodonta africana and elephant both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
Loxodonta africana	Yes	No	No	No
elephant	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, elephant is a hypernym of Loxodonta africana; that is, elephant is a word with a broader meaning than Loxodonta africana:

Loxodonta africana: an elephant native to Africa having enormous flapping ears and ivory tusks
elephant: five-toed pachyderm

Loxodonta africana (noun)	elephant (noun)
an elephant native to Africa having enormous flapping ears and ivory tusks	five-toed pachyderm
	the symbol of the Republican Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874