Pygmy hippopotamus

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Pygmy hippopotamus
A pygmy hippopotamus at Edinburgh Zoo
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Hippopotamidae
Subfamily:
Hippopotaminae
Genus: Choeropsis
Leidy, 1853
Species:
C. liberiensis
Binomial name
Choeropsis liberiensis
(Morton, 1849)[3]
Subspecies
  • C. l. liberiensis
  • C. l. heslopi
Range map[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Hexaprotodon liberiensis
Showing its teeth at the Lagos Zoo in Portugal

The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) is a small

extirpated from Nigeria.[1]

The pygmy hippo is reclusive and

grasses, and fruits
it finds in the forests.

A rare

nocturnal
forest creature, the pygmy hippopotamus is a difficult animal to study in the wild. Pygmy hippos were unknown outside West Africa until the 19th century. Introduced to zoos in the early 20th century, they breed well in captivity and the vast majority of research is derived from zoo specimens.[4] The survival of the species in captivity is more assured than in the wild; in a 2015 assessment, the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated that fewer than 2,500 pygmy hippos remain in the wild.[1]

Pygmy hippos are primarily threatened by

loss of habitat, as forests are logged and converted to farm land, and are also vulnerable to poaching, hunting for bushmeat, natural predators, and war. Pygmy hippos are among the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia
.

Taxonomy and origins

Nomenclature of the pygmy hippopotamus reflects that of the hippopotamus; the plural form is pygmy hippopotamuses or pygmy hippopotami.[5] A male pygmy hippopotamus is known as a bull, a female as a cow, and a baby as a calf. A group of hippopotami is known as a herd or a bloat.[6]

Skull

The pygmy hippopotamus is a member of the family

anthracotheres
in the superfamily Anthracotheroidea or Hippopotamoidea.

The

Shirley C. Coryndon proposed that the pygmy hippopotamus was closely related to Hexaprotodon, a genus that consisted of prehistoric hippos mostly native to Asia.[10]

This assertion was widely accepted,

IUCN.[1]

Nigerian subspecies

A distinct subspecies of pygmy hippopotamus existed in Nigeria until at least the 20th century, though the validity of this has been questioned.

trinomial nomenclature for the Liberian pygmy hippopotamus. The Nigerian pygmy hippopotamus was never studied in the wild and never captured. All research and all zoo specimens are the Liberian subspecies. The Nigerian subspecies is classified as C. liberiensis heslopi.[8]

The Nigerian pygmy hippopotamus ranged in the Niger River Delta, especially near Port Harcourt, but no reliable reports exist after the collection of the museum specimens secured by Ian Heslop, a British colonial officer, in the early 1940s. It is probably extinct.[1] The subspecies is separated by over 1,800 km (1,100 mi) and the Dahomey Gap, a region of savanna that divides the forest regions of West Africa. The subspecies is named after Heslop, who shot three members of it in 1935 and 1943.[14] He estimated that perhaps no more than 30 pygmy hippos remained in the region.[15]

Heslop sent four pygmy hippopotamus skulls he collected to the British Museum of Natural History in London. These specimens were not subjected to taxonomic evaluation, however, until 1969 when Gordon Barclay Corbet [de] classified the skulls as belonging to a separate subspecies based on consistent variations in the proportions of the skulls.[16] The Nigerian pygmy hippos were seen or shot in Rivers State, Imo State and Bayelsa State, Nigeria. While some local populations are aware that the species once existed, its history in the region is poorly documented.[8]

Evolution

Main article: Hippopotamus § Evolution
Anthracotheres like Anthracotherium
resembled pygmy hippos and are among their likely ancestors.

The evolution of the pygmy hippopotamus is most often studied in the context of its larger cousin. Both species were long believed to be most closely related to the family

peccaries), but research within the last 10 years has determined that pygmy hippos and hippos are most closely related to cetaceans (whales and dolphins). Hippos and whales shared a common semi-aquatic ancestor that branched off from other artiodactyls around 60 mya.[17][18]

This hypothesized ancestor likely split into two branches about six million years later.[19] 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.[11]

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 C. liberiensis.[12] 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.[7]

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.[7][12]

Extinct pygmy and dwarf hippos

Several species of small hippopotamids have also become extinct in the Mediterranean in the late

Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus (Hippopotamus minor).[20]

These species, though comparable in size to the pygmy hippopotamus, are considered dwarf hippopotamuses, rather than pygmies. They are likely descended from a full-sized species of

Malagasy hippopotamus
).

Description

Resting at Louisville Zoo. The skull of a pygmy hippo has less pronounced orbits and nostrils than a common hippopotamus.

Pygmy hippos share the same general form as a hippopotamus. They have a graviportal skeleton, with four stubby legs and four toes on each foot, supporting a portly frame. Yet, the pygmy is only half as tall as the hippopotamus and weighs less than 1/4 as much as its larger cousin. Adult pygmy hippos stand about 75–100 cm (2.46–3.28 ft) high at the shoulder, are 150–175 cm (4.92–5.74 ft) in length and weigh 180–275 kg (397–606 lb).[21] Their lifespan in captivity ranges from 30 to 55 years, though it is unlikely that they live this long in the wild.[8][22]

The skin is greenish-black or brown, shading to a creamy gray on the lower body. Their skin is very similar to the common hippo's, with a thin

sweat nor blood. This substance, hipposudoric acid, is believed to have antiseptic and sunscreening properties. The skin of hippos dries out quickly and cracks, which is why both species spend so much time in water.[8]

The skeleton of C. liberiensis is more gracile than that of the common hippopotamus, meaning their bones are proportionally thinner. The common hippo's spine is parallel with the ground; the pygmy hippo's back slopes forward, a likely adaptation to pass more easily through dense forest vegetation. Proportionally, the pygmy hippo's legs and neck are longer and its head smaller.[22]

Nuzzling couple at the Duisburg Zoo in Germany

The orbits and nostrils of a pygmy hippo are much less pronounced, an adaptation from spending less time in deep water (where pronounced orbits and nostrils help the common hippo breathe and see). The feet of pygmy hippos are narrower, but the toes are more spread out and have less webbing, to assist in walking on the forest floor.[22]

Despite adaptations to a more terrestrial life than the common hippopotamus, pygmy hippos are still more aquatic than all other

even-toed ungulates. The ears and nostrils of pygmy hippos have strong muscular valves to aid submerging underwater, and the skin physiology is dependent on the availability of water.[8][9]

Behavior

(video) Bathing in the Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan
Two dive in water at Singapore Zoo, Singapore

The behavior of the pygmy hippo differs from the common hippo in many ways. Much of its behavior is more similar to that of a tapir, though this is an effect of convergent evolution.[9] While the common hippopotamus is gregarious, pygmy hippos live either alone or in small groups, typically a mated pair or a mother and calf. Pygmy hippos tend to ignore each other rather than fight when they meet. Field studies have estimated that male pygmy hippos range over 1.85 km2 (460 acres), while the range of a female is 0.4 to 0.6 km2 (100–150 acres).[8]

Pygmy hippos spend most of the day hidden in rivers. They will rest in the same spot for several days in a row, before moving to a new spot. At least some pygmy hippos make use of dens or

artiodactyls, such as warthogs, are burrowers.[8]

Diet

Like the common hippopotamus, the pygmy hippo emerges from the water at dusk to feed. It relies on game trails to travel through dense forest vegetation. It marks trails by vigorously waving its tail while defecating to further spread its feces. The pygmy hippo spends about six hours a day foraging for food.[8]

Eating a vegetable

Pygmy hippos are

sedges and fruits that have fallen to the forest floor.[23] The wide variety of plants pygmy hippos have been observed eating suggests that they will eat any plants available. This diet is of higher quality than that of the common hippopotamus.[8]

Reproduction

Baby stands near its parent in the Jihlava Zoo, Czech Republic
Mother and child taking a bath at Lisbon Zoo

A study of breeding behavior in the wild has never been conducted; the artificial conditions of captivity may cause the observed behavior of pygmy hippos in zoos to differ from natural conditions. Sexual maturity for the pygmy hippopotamus occurs between three and five years of age.

oestrus cycle of a female pygmy hippo lasts an average of 35.5 days, with the oestrus itself lasting between 24 and 48 hours.[1][24]

Pygmy hippos consort for mating, but the duration of the relationship is unknown. In zoos they breed as monogamous pairs. Copulation can take place on land or in the water, and a pair will mate one to four times during an oestrus period. In captivity, pygmy hippos have been conceived and born in all months of the year.[9] The gestation period ranges from 190 to 210 days, and usually a single young is born, though twins are known to occur.[8]

The common hippopotamus gives birth and mates only in the water, but pygmy hippos mate and give birth on both land and water. Young pygmy hippos can swim almost immediately. At birth, pygmy hippos weigh 4.5–6.2 kg (9.9–13.7 lb) with males weighing about 0.25 kg (0.55 lb) more than females. Pygmy hippos are fully

weaned between six and eight months of age; before weaning they do not accompany their mother when she leaves the water to forage, but instead hide in the water by themselves. The mother returns to the hiding spot about three times a day and calls out for the calf to suckle. Suckling occurs with the mother lying on her side.[8]

Temperament

Although not considered dangerous to humans and generally docile, pygmy hippos can be highly aggressive at times.[25]

Conservation

Pair at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy

The greatest threat to the remaining pygmy hippopotamus population in the wild is loss of habitat. The forests in which pygmy hippos live have been subject to logging, settling and conversion to agriculture, with little efforts made to make logging sustainable. As forests shrink, the populations become more fragmented, leading to less genetic diversity in the potential mating pool.[1]

Pygmy hippos are among the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia.[26] Their meat is said to be of excellent quality, like that of a wild boar; unlike those of the common hippo, the pygmy hippo's teeth have no value.[9] The effects of West Africa's civil strife on the pygmy hippopotamus are unknown, but unlikely to be positive.[1] The pygmy hippopotamus can be killed by leopards, pythons and crocodiles. How often this occurs is unknown.[8]

C. liberiensis was identified as one of the top 10 "focal species" in 2007 by the

Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone.[28]

studbook and coordinates the entire captive pygmy hippo population that freely breeds in zoos around the world. Between 1970 and 1991 the population of pygmy hippos born in captivity more than doubled. The survival of the species in zoos is more certain than the survival of the species in the wild.[15][22] In captivity, the pygmy hippo lives from 42 to 55 years, longer than in the wild.[8] Since 1919, only 41 percent of pygmy hippos born in zoos have been male.[24]

History and folklore

Pair at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy

While the common hippopotamus was known to Europeans since classical antiquity, the pygmy hippopotamus was unknown outside its range in West Africa until the 19th century. Due to their nocturnal, forested existence, they were poorly known within their range as well. In Liberia the animal was traditionally known as a water cow.[9]

Early field reports of the animal misidentified it as a

Natural History Museum in Leiden, The Netherlands.[9]

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.[8][9]

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.[22][29]

Several folktales have been collected about the pygmy hippopotamus. One tale says that pygmy hippos carry a shining diamond in their mouths to help travel through thick forests at night; by day the pygmy hippo has a secret hiding place for the diamond, but if a hunter catches a pygmy hippo at night the diamond can be taken. Villagers sometimes believed that baby pygmy hippos do not nurse but rather lick secretions off the skin of the mother.[9]

References

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    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T10032A18567171.en
    . Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ a b "Choeropsis liberiensis". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. 1.5. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1972.tb02296.x
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  5. ^ "Hippopotamus".
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    doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00138.x
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    ISBN 978-0-85661-131-5
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  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Robinson, Phillip T. River Horses and Water Cows Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. Hippo Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union Archived 2007-07-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
  10. ^ a b Coryndon, Shirley C. (1977). "The taxonomy and nomenclature of the Hippopotamidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) and a description of two new fossil species". Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen. 80 (2): 61–88.
  11. ^
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  13. ^ "ITIS Standard Report Page: Hexaprotodon liberiensis". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
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  16. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb02156.x
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  17. ^ "Scientists find missing link between the dolphin, whale and its closest relative, the hippo". Science News Daily. 2005-01-25. Archived from the original on 2007-03-04. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
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  20. ^ a b Petronio, C. (1995). "Note on the taxonomy of Pleistocene hippopotamuses" (PDF). Ibex. 3: 53–55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  21. ISBN 978-0198508236
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  22. ^ a b c d e "Pygmy Hippo fact sheet". National Zoological Park. Archived from the original on 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  23. ^ "Hexaprotodon liberiensis (Madagascan pygmy hippopotamus)". Animal Diversity Web.
  24. ^
    doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0674:DSRABI>2.0.CO;2
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  25. ^ Álvarez, Juan (2023-02-05). "Are Pygmy Hippos Aggressive? Are Dangerous as The Common?". WWWILDNATURE. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  26. ^ Look, Anne (8 May 2012). "Poaching in Liberia's Forests Threatens Rare Animals". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  27. ^ "Protection for 'weirdest' species". BBC. 2007-01-16. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  28. ^ Administrator. "Gola Forest Reserve". Visit Sierra Leone. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
  29. doi:10.1016/S1040-6182(03)00121-6
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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hexaprotodon liberiensis.

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