Madagascan hippopotamus
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Hippopotamidae Genus: multiple
Species
Hippopotamus lemerlei [1] Hippopotamus laloumena[2] Hip. madagascariensis[1] or Hex. madagascariensis[3] or C. madagascariensis [4] 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. ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary... Families Suidae Hippopotamidae Tayassuidae Camelidae Tragulidae Moschidae Cervidae Giraffidae Antilocapridae Bovidae The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. ... Genera Hippopotamus Phanourios Hexaprotodon Archaeopotamus Choeropsis Saotherium Hippopotami (colloquially also Hippopotamuses) are the members of the family Hippopotamidae. ...

Several species of Malagasy Hippopotamus (also known as Malagasy Dwarf Hippopotamus or Malagasy Pygmy Hippopotamus or Madagascan instead of Malagasy) lived on the island of Madagascar but are now believed to be extinct. The animals were very similar to the extant Hippopotamus and Pygmy Hippopotamus. The fossil record suggests that at least one species of hippopotamus lived until at least 1,000 years ago.^[5] but other evidence suggests the species may have survived until much more recently. ^[6] The taxonomy of these hippopotami is not resolved and not widely studied. The various species are believed to have survived into the Holocene era. Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek ‘ιπποπόταμος (hippopotamos, hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river), is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant in the family Hippopotamidae (the other being the Pygmy Hippopotamus). ... Binomial name Choeropsis liberiensis (Morton, 1849) 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). ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ... The Holocene epoch is a geological period that extends from the present day back to about 10,000 radiocarbon years, approximately 11,430 ± 130 calendar years BP (between 9560 and 9300 BC). ...

Discovery and Taxonomy

The Malagasy Hippopotamus was first described in the mid-1800s by Alfred Grandidier who unearthed nearly 50 individual hippos from a dried-up swamp near Lake Ranobe, a few miles from the Mozambique Channel. As many as four different species of hippopotamus were subsequently identified by various researches. In a careful revision of the fossil record of the Malagasy Hippos, Stuenes concluded that there were only two species of hippopotamus which she classified as Hippopotamus lemerlei and Hippopotamus madagascariensis.^{[7] [1]} In 1990, Faure and Guerin discovered a distinct third species of hippo which they named Hippopotamus laloumena. In a review of Stuenes work, Harris suggested that Hip. madagascariensis had much in common with the extant pygmy hippopotamus of West Africa.^[3] Since the extant pygmy hippopotamus was placed in the genus Hexaprotodon, he used the name Hex. madagascariensis. Some taxonomists, however, consider the modern pygmy hippo to belong to the genus Choeropsis, so this species may also be classified as C. madagascariensis.^[4] Alfred Grandidier (December 20, 1836 - September 13, 1921) was a French naturalist and explorer. ... Location of Mozambique Channel The Mozambique Channel is a portion of the Indian Ocean between the island of Madagascar and southeast Africa, namely Mozambique. ... Binomial name Choeropsis liberiensis (Morton, 1849) 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). ... Binomial name Choeropsis liberiensis (Morton, 1849) Subspecies 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). ... 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). ...

The fossil record of the Malagasy Hippopotamus is extensive. At least seven hippopotamus bones show unequivocal signs of butchery, suggesting that the hippopotami survived until humans arrived on Madagascar. The evidence of humans butchering the hippos also suggests their extinction may have been, in part, due to humans. Despite the many fossils, the hippos of Madagascar remain little studied, perhaps because researchers are interested by some of the more exotic megafauna of Madagascar such as the Giant Lemur and the Elephant Bird.^[7] The written history of Madagascar began in the seventh century A.D., when Arabs established trading posts along the northwest coast. ... A good example of malagasy convergent evolution is the fossa, a malagasy carnivore that has evolved in appearance and behaviour to be so like a large cat that it was originally classified in felidae, when it is in fact more closely related to the mongoose Madagascar has been an isolated... Megaladapis is an extinct species of primate that once inhabited Madagascar. ... Genera Aepyornis Mullerornis Elephant birds are an extinct family of flightless birds comprising the genera Aepyornis and Mullerornis. ...

Species of Malagasy Hippopotamus

Although little studied, there is growing acceptance of these three species of Malagasy Hippopotamus.^[8][4][5] It is not known when or exactly how these hippopotami arrived on the island of Madagascar. As hippopotami are semi-aquatic, it is possible that they survived the 400 km trek across the channel, although presumably when the water was shallower and there were perhaps small islands along the way. Is it possible that the three species of hippopotamus represent three distinct and successful colonizations of the island.^[8] Hippos are the only ungulates to have ever lived on Madagascar unless brought there by humans. Orders & Clades Order Perissodactyla Eparctocyona Order Arctostylonia (extinct) Order Mesonychia (extinct) Cetartiodactyla Order Cetacea Order Artiodactyla Bulbulodentata (extinct) Family Hyopsodontidae Meridiungulata (extinct) Order Litopterna Notoungulata (extinct) Order Toxodontia Order Typotheria Ungulates (meaning roughly being hoofed or hoofed animal) are several groups of mammals most of which use the tips of...

H. lemerlei

Hippopotamus lemerlei bones have been mostly discovered in the rivers and lakes of western Madagascar, suggesting a riparian lifestyle, very similar to that of the modern hippopotamus of modern Africa. H. lemerlei also shared the high-orbits that make it easier for the hippopotamus to see while in the water.^[7] The skull of H. lemerlei also resembled that of the modern hippopotamus, but with consistent size differences, indicating that H. lemerlei was a sexually dimorphic species. A riparian zone schematic from the Everglades. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek ‘ιπποπόταμος (hippopotamos, hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river), is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant in the family Hippopotamidae (the other being the Pygmy Hippopotamus). ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in both color and size between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ...

Although a clear relative to the common hippopotamus, H. lemerlei was much smaller, roughly the size of the modern pygmy hippopotamus. The largest specimens were six and a half feet long and two and a half feet tall. The ancestors of H. lemerlei may have been full-sized hippos who shrunk through the process of insular dwarfism. A similar dwarfing process has occurred with hippos in many Mediterranean islands such as with the Cretan Dwarf Hippopotamus or the Cyprus Dwarf Hippopotamus. Binomial name Choeropsis liberiensis (Morton, 1849) 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). ... Insular dwarfism is the process and condition of the reduction in size of large animals - almost always mammals - when their gene pool is limited to a very small environment, primarily islands. ... Binomial name Hippopotamus creutzburgi Boekschoten and Sondaar, 1966 Hippopotamus creutzburgi is an extinct hippopotamus. ... Binomial name Phanourios minutus The Cyprus Dwarf Hippopotamus or Cypriot Pygmy Hippopotamus (Phanourios minutus) is an extinct species of hippo that inhabited the island of Cyprus until the early Holocene. ...

Because H. lemerlei reached its size through dwarfing, it is properly known as the Malagasy Dwarf Hippopotamus, though this term is sometimes applied to the other species of Malagasy Hippos. Bones of H. lemerlei have been dated to about 1,000 years ago. (980± 200 radiocarbon years before present.^[9]) Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring isotope carbon-14 (14C) to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to about 60,000 years[1]. Raw, i. ...

C. madagascariensis

Also called the Malagasy Pygmy Hippopotamus, this species was originally classified as hippopotamus along with H. lemerlei, and indeed the two species were roughly the same size. A review of their morphology and habitat, however, suggested a closer relationship to the modern pygmy hippopotamus. The term morphology in biology refers to the outward appearance (shape, structure, colour, pattern) of an organism or taxon and its component parts. ...

Like the modern pygmy hippopotamus, the Malagasy Pygmy Hippo has eyes on the side of its head rather than high orbits and similar teeth to the pygmy hippopotamus. The Malagasy Pygmy Hippo is similarly less aquatic, with many of its fossils found in the forested highlands of Madagascar.^[7] The Madagascar subhumid forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion which covers most of the central highlands of the island of Madagascar. ...

Fossils of both the Malagasy Pygmy Hippopotamus and H. lemerlei show a cursorial adaptation, distinct from the hippos on the African continent, and they would have been much better runners. This common trait is a possible indicator that both species of Malagasy Hippo descended from a common ancestor, and that the similarities to the modern hippopotamus and pygmy hippopotamus are a case of parallel evolution.^[8] The cursorial theory of the evolution of flight is the theory that avian dinosaurs evolved from ground-living theropods, as opposed to arborial species. ... Bee hovering in flight In evolutionary biology, parallel evolution refers to the independent evolution of similar traits in closely related lineages of species, while convergent evolution refers to the appearance of striking similarities among lineages of organisms only very distantly related. ...

H. laloumena

In 1990, Faure and Guerin described a third species of Malagasy Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus laloumena (Laloumena is a Malagasy word for hippopotamus) which was a distinct species. Little is known about the species, because it was identified with only a lower jaw and limb bones, recovered from a site near Mananjary on the east coast of Madagascar. The mandible (from Latin mandibÅ­la, jawbone) or inferior maxillary bone is, together with the maxilla, the largest and strongest bone of the face. ... Mananjary is a fivondronana (urban region) located in the province of Fianarantsoa in Madagascar. ...

The fossils clearly belong to a hippopotamus, but one much larger than any previously described Madagascan species. From what is known, the species closely resembled the modern hippopotamus, but was somewhat smaller.^[8] It is also known as the Lesser Madagascan Hippopotamus.

Oral legends and the Kilopilopitsofy

Although no fossil evidence has been dated within the last 1,000 years, the hippopotamus has been surprisingly common in the oral legends of the Malagasy. In 1648 Étienne de Flacourt became the French governor of Madagascar and he wrote in his Histoire de la grande isle de Madagascar about hearing stories from the Malagasy about an animal called the Mangarsahoc which closely resembled the hippopotamus. In different regions of Madagascar, stories were recorded of the tsy-aomby-aomby, the omby-rano, and the laloumena, all animals that resembled hippopotami, but few other animals on the island. In 1902 a colonial administrator named Raybaud asserted that stories he heard in the Highlands could only be about Malagasy Hippos still living as late as 1878. ^[6] The strength of these oral traditions led the IUCN to classify the Malagasy Hippopotami as recent extinctions.^[9][10] Etienne de Flacourt Etienne de Flacourt (1607–1660) was a French governor of Madagascar, born at Orléans in 1607. ...

In the 1990s Burney, who was studying recent extinctions in Madagascar, collected tales about a creature called the Kilopilopitsofy that had been described by villages in the town of Belo-sur-mer, a small fishing village on the west coast. Several villagers independently described an animal that, as recently as 1976 had entered their village, was the size of a cow, was dark pigmented, grunted a lot and when threatened fled underwater. No known animal on Madagascar fits the description but the animal seemed remarkably like a hippopotamus.^[6]

One man in the village could accurately mimic the sound of many animals, and when asked to imitate the Kilopilopitsofy, he made noises very similar to that of a hippopotamus, even though he had never left the island and said he had never seen an African hippo. When shown photos, others also identified a hippopotamus-like animal, but with larger ears. Several described the creature's last appearance in 1976.^[6]

Burney was reluctant to publish the study for fear of being labeled a cryptozoologist, but eventually published the results in American Anthropologist. Burney concluded that while the villagers possibly had encountered a Malagasy Hippopotamus, it was also possible that the stories were inaccurate — a combination of misidentified animals, old folk traditions and information the villagers had gathered from modern paleontology.^[7][6] Cryptozoology is the study of rumored or mythological animals that are presumed to exist, but for which conclusive proof does not yet exist; or are generally considered extinct, but occasionally reported. ... The American Anthropologist is the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association. ...

External links

• Pictures of a Malagasy Hippopotamus skeleton on display at the Paleontological Museum at the University of Oslo.

The University of Oslo (in Norwegian Universitetet i Oslo, in Latin Universitas Osloensis) was founded in 1811 as Universitas Regia Fredericiana (the Royal Frederick University, in Norwegian Det Kongelige Frederiks Universitet). ...

References