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Table of Contents
A rare nocturnal forest creature, the pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) is a small hippopotamus endemic to the forests and swamps of West Africa. Currently listed as an endangered species, the pygmy hippopotamus is primarily threatened by habitat loss and is vulnerable to poaching and illegal hunting for bushmeat.
See the fact file below for more information on the pygmy hippopotamus or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Pygmy Hippopotamus worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
TAXONOMY AND ORIGINS
- A bull is the term that describes a male pygmy hippopotamus, a cow for a female, and a calf for a baby. A group of hippopotami is called a herd or a bloat.
- As members of the Hippopotamidae family, the pygmy hippopotamus is categorized under the genus Choeropsis, which shows similarities with a hog, or the genus Hexaprotodon, which means “six front teeth.”
- The Malagasy pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon madagascariensis or Hippopotamus madagascariensis) is known to be the sister species of the pygmy hippopotamus. Believed to reach extinction within the last 500 years, this creature is believed to be of the same size as the modern pygmy hippo, which also shared its terrestrial behavior as it also inhabited forested highlands of Madagascar, rather than open rivers.
- Nomenclature of the pygmy hippopotamus resembles that of the hippopotamus. The plural form is pygmy hippopotami, whereas hippopotamuses is also generally agreed upon as a plural form by the Oxford English Dictionary.
DESCRIPTION
- A pygmy hippo shows resemblance with its hippopotamus cousin. It has a graviportal skeleton, with four short and thick legs and four toes on each foot, balancing its stout physique.
- A hippopotamus is twice the height of a pygmy hippo, and the latter weighs a quarter less than its larger cousin. Adult pygmy hippos stand 2.46 to 3.28 feet high at the shoulder, are 4.92 to 5.74 feet long, and weigh 397 to 606 pounds.
- In captivity, a pygmy hippo lives for about 30 to 55 years.
- Its skeleton is more slender than that of the common hippopotamus; its bones are proportionally thinner. Its back slopes forward, a morphological adaptation so it can easily pass through dense forest vegetation.
- The orbits, or the cavities or sockets of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are located, and nostrils of the pygmy hippo are less pronounced, an adaptation from spending less time underwater.
- Its skin is greenish-black or brown, with shades of creamy gray on the lower portion of its body. Just like the hippopotamus’ skin, it also has a thin epidermis on top of a dermis that is a few centimeters thick. It also has the same peculiar secretion as the common hippo, sometimes called a “blood sweat”, giving its body a hint of pink. This substance, hipposudoric acid, is assumed to give off antiseptic and sunscreening properties. A hippo’s skin dies out quickly and cracks, that is why both the common and pygmy hippo spend most of their time submerged in water.
BEHAVIOR
- A common hippo and pygmy hippo differ in behavior in many ways. Much of the latter’s behavior resembles that of a tapir, though this is an effect of convergent evolution.
- While the common hippo is sociable, its little cousin prefers to live alone or in small groups, usually a mated pair or a mother and calf.
- Pygmy hippos tend to neglect and avoid each other rather than fight when they meet.
- It spends most of the day hidden in rivers, resting in the same spot for a number of days consecutively, before transferring to a new location. There are some pygmy hippos which make use of dens or burrows that create river banks.
DIET
- Just like the common hippo, the pygmy hippo comes out of the water at dusk to forage, which usually takes six hours a day. It depends on game trails to wander through dense forest vegetation, as it marks trails by robustly waving its tail while excreting to further spread its feces.
- The pygmy hippo is herbivorous, and it does not feed on aquatic vegetation, rarely eating grass because it is scarce in the thick forests they live in.
- Its diet is made up of ferns, broad-leaved plants, and fruits that have fallen on the ground.
REPRODUCTION
- A pygmy hippo reaches sexual maturity after three to five years. The youngest documented age for giving birth at three years and three months is a pygmy hippo found in the Zoo Basel, Switzerland.
- A female pygmy hippo’s oestrus cycle takes place every 35.5 days, lasting between 24 to 48 hours.
- Pygmy hippos in captivity form monogamous pairs, and their copulation occurs on land or in water, mating one to four times within an oestrus cycle.
- Gestation period ranges from 190 to 210 days, and normally a single calf is born, though twins might occur sometimes.
CONSERVATION
- Loss of habitat is the greatest threat experienced by the remaining pygmy hippopotamus population. Their natural habitats have been used for logging, settling, and conversion to agriculture, with little or no efforts made to make it sustainable.
- Pygmy hippos are one of the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia, wherein their meat is thought to be of excellent quality.
- In 2007, the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) project labelled the pygmy hippo as one of the top-10 “focal species.”
HISTORY AND FOLKLORE
- The pygmy hippopotamus was traditionally known as a water cow in Liberia.
- The first pygmy hippo was imported to Europe in 1873 after being captured in Sierra Leone by someone from the British Colonial Service; however, it died days after its arrival. Pygmy hippos were successfully introduced to Europe in 1911, and were initially brought to Germany, then to the Bronx Zoo in New York City.
- In 1927, American businessman Harvey Firestone donated a pygmy hippo named Billy to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C, which, according to the zoo, is a common ancestor to most present-day pygmy hippos in zoos in the United States.
Pygmy Hippopotamus Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the pygmy hippopotamus across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Pygmy Hippopotamus worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) which is a small hippopotamus endemic to the forests and swamps of West Africa. Currently listed as an endangered species, the pygmy hippopotamus is primarily threatened by habitat loss and is vulnerable to poaching and illegal hunting for bushmeat.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Pygmy Hippopotamus Facts
- Mini Hippo
- Test Yourself
- Ask Little Hipo
- Growing Up Mini
- Label a Hippo
- Facts Only
- Hippo Puzzle
- Me and My Cousin
- Other Pygmy Species
- Cry For Help
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