Pygmy Hippopotamus
Conservation status
Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Hippopotamidae Genus: Choeropsis Species: C. liberiensis
Binomial name
Choeropsis liberiensis (Morton, 1849)
Subspecies
C. l. heslopi C. l. liberiensis ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2100x1200, 713 KB) Description: Zwergflusspferd - Pygmy Hippopotamus - Hexaprotodon liberiensis at Zoo Duisburg, Germany Source: own photography Date: 27. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... The critically endangered Amur Tiger, a rare subspecies of tiger. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... Animalia redirects here. ... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... I smoke weed im growing a blue penis dude#REDIRECT penises are cool ... Families Suidae Hippopotamidae Tayassuidae Camelidae Tragulidae Moschidae Cervidae Giraffidae Antilocapridae Bovidae The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. ... Genera Hippopotamus Hexaprotodon Hippopotamuses are the members of the family Hippopotamidae. ... Binomial name Hexaprotodon liberiensis (Morton, 1849) The Pygmy Hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) is a large mammal native to the forests and swamps of western Africa (the species name, meaning of Liberia, reflects this). ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ...

The Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is a large mammal native to the forests and swamps of western Africa (the species name, meaning "of Liberia", reflects this). The pygmy hippo is an herbivore and also nocturnal. It is one of only two extant species in the hippopotamus family. Unlike its larger relative, the Hippopotamus, relatively little is known about the Pygmy Hippo's diet or behavior, although it is clear that the Pygmy Hippo is adapted to forest environments rather than the more open plains and grasslands that the Hippopotamus prefers. Some authors place the Pygmy Hippo in the genus Hexaprotodon, along with a number of fossil forms. I smoke weed im growing a blue penis dude#REDIRECT penises are cool ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ... A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ... In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ... Binomial name Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus, 1758 The Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek ‘ιπποπόταμος (hippopotamos, hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river), is a large, plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant, and three or four recently extinct, species in the family Hippopotamidae. ...

Pygmy Hippos stand about 75 cm (30 inches) high at the shoulder and weigh 180 kilograms (400 pounds). They are more solitary than their larger relatives and considerably less aquatic. The skin is greenish-black, shading to a creamy gray on the lower body. The average lifespan is 35 years, and one in captivity reached the age of 42. The gestation period ranges from 190-210 days, and usually a single young is born. Pygmy Hippos live either alone or in small groups, typically a mated pair and one calf.

Skull of a Pygmy Hippopotamus

All species of hippo spend most of their time in the water, emerging mainly at night in order to feed on land. The Pygmy Hippo is half as tall as the Hippopotamus and weighs 1/10 as much as a small member of the larger hippo species. The fossil record suggests that the Pygmy Hippo is closer in form and possibly behavior to the common ancestor. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1435x1111, 236 KB) Summary Skull of Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) de: Schädel eines Zwergflusspferdes Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Pygmy Hippopotamus ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1435x1111, 236 KB) Summary Skull of Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) de: Schädel eines Zwergflusspferdes Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Pygmy Hippopotamus ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ...

Pygmy hippos exist in two populations. One ranges in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. The other population, with a different shape to the skull, ranged until recently in the Niger Delta but may now be extinct. Map of Niger River with Niger River basin in green. ...

There are two subspecies of the pygmy hippopotamus. Choeropsis liberiensis heslopi is a critically endangered subspecies, and may possibly even be extinct. The other subspecies, Choeropsis liberiensis liberiensis, is a category 4 (vulnerable) An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ...

Conservation

In 2007, the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) project was begun, to help try and protect some of the worlds most 'unique' species. The term 'unique' in this case refers to animals that have few if any closely related species, are genetically distinct in some way, and that require the immediate action of man to prevent their extinction.

564 species were named 'unique', and EDGE chose to try and protect the top 100 species. Of these 100 species, the pygmy hippopotamus was one of the top 10 chosen as a "focal species" to try and help first with the project, along with the following:

• Attenborough's long-beaked echidna
• Hispaniolan solenodon
• Bactrian camel
• Yangtze River dolphin
• Slender loris
• Hirola antelope
• Golden-rumped elephant shrew
• Bumblebee bat
• Long-eared jerboa

Binomial name Camelus bactrianus Linnaeus, 1758 The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a large even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of eastern Asia. ... Binomial name Lipotes vexillifer Miller, 1918 Natural range of Lipotes vexillifer The Baiji (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (Lipotes vexillifer, Lipotes meaning left behind, vexillifer flag bearer) was a freshwater dolphin found only in the Yangtze River in China. ... Binomial name Loris tardigradus Linneaus, 1758 The Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) is a small, nocturnal prosimian native to India and Sri Lanka. ... Binomial name Rhynchocyon chrysopygus (Günther, 1881) The Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew, Rhynchocyon chrysopygus, is the largest of all the unique African family, the elephant shrews. ... Binomial name Craseonycteris thonglongyai Hill, 1974 The Bumblebee Bat, or perhaps more correctly Kittis Hog-nosed Bat, (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) is the worlds smallest species of bat at 30-40 mm in length and weighing approximately 2 grams (about the weight of a dime). ...

References

• News story about the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project (EDGE)

• Boisserie, J.R. 2005. The phylogeny and taxonomy of Hippopotamidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): a review based on morphology and cladistic analysis. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 143, Number 1, January 2005, pp. 1-26(26)
• ITIS data as of 2004-08-11
• News story about the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project (EDGE)

Pygmy Hippo at Bristol Zoo, England

.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hexaprotodon liberiensis

• EDGE of Existence (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) - Saving the World's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species

• Lewison, R. & Oliver, W. (Hippo Specialist Subgroup) (2005). Hexaprotodon liberiensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 17 December 2006.
• ARKive - images and movies of the Pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis)