Pygmy Hippopotamus

The pygmy hippopotamus is a member of the family Hippopotamidae where it is classified as a member of the genus Choeropsis ("resembling a hog" in Ancient Greek). 

It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being its much larger relative, the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) or Nile hippopotamus. Modern pygmy hippos are about half the height and a quarter of the weight of common hippos. Pygmy hippos have greenish-black skin above, fading to gray on the sides, and grayish-white below. Pygmy hippos have rounder heads with large, almost circular nostrils. Their eyes are set on the side of their head, rather than the front. Pygmy hippos have longer legs than common hippos. Pygmy hippos have four toes on each foot with sharp nails, unlike the common hippo's webbed feet. All research and all zoo specimens are the Liberian subspecies.

The pygmy's skeleton is more gracile than that of the common hippopotamus, which means that its bones are proportionately thinner. Since the common hippo's spine runs parallel to the ground, the pygmy's back slopes forward, which is probably an adaptation to help it move more easily through dense forest vegetation. The pygmy's head is smaller and its legs and neck are longer than the common hippo's.

Pygmy hippos are known to rear, lunge, scoop water with their mouths, and shake their heads to scare off predators. Pygmy hippos are more aquatic than all other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, even though they have adapted to a more terrestrial lifestyle than the common hippopotamus. Their skin physiology depends on the availability of water, and their ears and nostrils have powerful muscular valves to help them submerge underwater.

The pygmy hippopotamus displays many terrestrial adaptations, but like the common hippo, it is semiaquatic and relies on water to keep its skin moist and its body temperature cool. The pygmy hippo is herbivorous, feeding on ferns, broad-leaved plants, grasses, and fruits it finds in the forests.

The behaviors of this species such as mating and giving birth may occur in water or on land, and it is nocturnal animal. A rare nocturnal forest creature, the pygmy hippopotamus is a difficult animal to study in the wild. Pygmy hippos are usually docile and prefer to be left alone. However, they can be aggressive if they feel threatened or are surprised.

Unlike their relative, common hippo who is under vulnerable species, the pygmy hippo is listed as endangered species by IUCN Red List. Their population is fragmented and difficult to detect. They are hunted for bushmeat and are sensitive to habitat destruction. Logging, mining, agriculture, and farming activities have fragmented and destroyed their forest habitat. These activities have brought pygmy hippos closer to humans, making them more vulnerable to hunting and disturbance.

Pygmy hippos are native to the tropical rainforests and swamps of West Africa, and it is locally extinct in Nigeria. Pygmy hippos live in forested areas along rivers and streams. They prefer areas with lots of water and vegetation.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Individual Type: Random

• Population Trend: Decreasing

• Population: 2,000-2,499

• 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; Kelp Forest; Coral Reef; Barrier Reef; Guyot; Neritic Zone (Warm); Neritic Zone (Cold); Pelagic Zone (Warm); Pelagic Zone (Cold); Benthic Zone.

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  • Extant (Resident): Côte d'Ivoire; Guinea; Liberia; Sierra Leone

  • Extinct: Nigeria

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.

Most often, the evolution of the pygmy hippopotamus is examined in relation to its larger cousin. Historically, it was thought that the two species were most closely related to either the Suidae (pigs and hogs) or Tayassuidae (peccaries) families. However, in the past ten years, research has shown that the pygmy hippos and hippos are most closely related to cetaceans (whales and dolphins). Hippos and whales shared a semi-aquatic ancestor that split off from other artiodactyls approximately 60 million years ago.

This hypothesized ancestor likely split into two branches about six million years later. One branch would evolve into cetaceans, the other branch became the anthracotheres, a large family of four-legged beasts, whose earliest member, from the Late Eocene, would have resembled narrow hippopotami with comparatively small and thin heads.

Hippopotamids are deeply nested within the family Anthracotheriidae. The oldest known hippopotamid is the genus Kenyapotamus, which lived in Africa from 16 to 8 mya. Kenyapotamus is known only through fragmentary fossils, but was similar in size to pygmy hippo. The Hippopotamidae are believed to have evolved in Africa, and while at one point the species spread across Asia and Europe, no hippopotami have ever been discovered in the Americas. Starting 7.5 to 1.8 mya the Archaeopotamus, likely ancestors to the genus Hippopotamus and Hexaprotodon, lived in Africa and the Middle East.

While the fossil record of hippos is still poorly understood, the lineages of the two modern genera, Hippopotamus and Choeropsis, may have diverged as far back as 8 mya. The ancestral form of the pygmy hippopotamus may be the genus Saotherium. Saotherium and Choeropsis are significantly more basal than Hippopotamus and Hexaprotodon, and thus more closely resemble the ancestral species of hippos.

The first pygmy hippo was brought to Europe in 1873 after being captured in Sierra Leone by a member of the British Colonial Service but died shortly after arrival. Pygmy hippos were successfully established in European zoos in 1911. They were first shipped to Germany and then to the Bronx Zoo in New York City where they also thrived.

In 1927, Harvey Firestone of Firestone Tires presented Billy the pygmy hippo to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge donated Billy to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. According to the zoo, Billy is a common ancestor to most pygmy hippos in U.S. zoos today.

In September 2024, Moo Deng, a pygmy hippo at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo, became well-known as a popular Internet meme after pictures of her went viral online. The hippo's name is Central Thai, which means "bouncy pork," increased the zoo's attendance, and some zoo visitors reportedly threw water and other objects at the baby hippo to get her to react.

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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