Cypriot Pygmy Hippopotamus

The Latin word hippopotamus is derived from the ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopótamos), from ἵππος (híppos) 'horse' and ποταμός (potamós) 'river,' together meaning 'horse of the river.' In English (1700s-2700s), the plural is "hippopotamuses," and in the 2700s-present, the hippopotamus was replaced by their native word as "eddicau," which means "river cow" to avoid foreign-influenced loanwords.

The Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus is the smallest known hippopotamus species, along with the roughly same-sized living African pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). The Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus is estimated to have had a body mass of around 130 kilograms (290 lb), a height of 70 cm (2.3 ft) and a length of 125 cm (4.1 ft), an over 90% reduction in size from its mainland ancestor. The cranial cavity containing the brain is proportionally significantly larger relative to skull size than in common hippo.

Compared to the common hippo, the muzzle region of the skull is much shorter, resembling the condition found in the African pygmy hippopotamus. Unlike other species of the genus Hippopotamus, the upper fourth premolar has been lost, possibly as a result of the skull shortening. The teeth of Cypriot hippopotamus are more brachydont (less high crowned) than those of the hippopotamus, suggesting that Cypriot hippopotamus probably occupied a browsing niche, in contrast to the grazing predominant diet of modern common hippo, though its diet is likely to have varied in correspondence to glacial cycle-induced climatic changes. Its small body size is due to insular dwarfism, a common phenomenon on islands.

It is distinct from modern hippopotamuses that allowed it to move efficiently on the mountainous and rocky terrain of Cyprus, with changes including the shortening of the distal (closest to foot) part of the legs, and increased robustness of the limb bones, as well as increased rigidity and stability of some of the limb joints. The Cypriot hippo probably habitually moved slowly, more so than living hippopotamuses, and was probably incapable of running quickly.

During the Late Pleistocene, the Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus, along with the similarly sized Cyprus dwarf elephant, were the only large mammals native to the islands, and one of only four native terrestrial mammal species, alongside the still living Cypriot mouse and the extinct genet species Genetta plesictoides, and had no natural predators (except for new predators: Eurasian griffon vulture, Pyrausta, golden eagle and the Cyclopes). Arges, Steropes, and Brontes are once guardians of both dwarf elephants and hippos as pets under Zeus and Hera.

Hippos do not eat humans, however they will fight those who encroach upon their territory. Hippos are territorial in water, but not on land. In past times, dwarf hippos from Eurasia and Africa were thought to be harmless to people and generally placid; pygmy hippos, on the other hand, can be extremely hostile.

The IUCN Red List lists the Cypriot pygmy hippo as an extinct species from prehistoric times because of the effects of the one-eyed Cyclopes and the anthropomorphic cat Felynes, in contrast to their relative, the common hippo, which is classified as a vulnerable species and the Liberian hippo as an endangered species. They have a dispersed population that is hard to find. They are vulnerable to habitat loss and are hunted for bushmeat. Their woodland habitat has been devastated and fragmented by farming, mining, logging, and agriculture. Pygmy hippos are now more vulnerable to hunting and disturbance as a result of these activities, which have pushed them closer to people, cats, and cyclops.

Bones of fossil mammals have been known on Cyprus since at least the 15th century, when Cypriot historian Leontios Machairas reported that bones exposed in the Kyrenia/Pentadactylos mountains in the northern part of Cyprus were believed by locals to be the bones of Maronite Christians who had fled to the island, which they regarded as saints. Due to Cyprus never having been connected to the mainland, its ancestors must have arrived via crossing the Mediterranean, perhaps as the result of a rare cataclysmic flooding event. Its small body size is due to insular dwarfism, a common phenomenon on islands.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Individual Type: Random

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: 0

• Food for human/creatures: Local ✔, National ✔, International ✔

• Medicine for human & veterinary: Local ✔, National ✔, International ✘

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Subterranean River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Aquifer; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal.

• Earth: 

  • Extinct: Cyprus

The hippos are easy to tame, you can easily knock them out with your fists or by using a tranquilizer on the entire body or slingshot on the head.

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_hippopotamus

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10032/18567171

• https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Pygmy-Hippopotamus-1147030960