tschadensis – ranges between Chad and Niger featured a slightly shorter but broader face, and pronounced, forward-facing orbits. capensis – found in Zambia and South Africa distinguished by wider orbits. kiboko – found in Kenya and Somalia was noted to be smaller and more lightly coloured than other hippos with wider nostrils, somewhat longer snout and more rounded and relatively raised orbits with the space between them being incurved. amphibius – (the nominate subspecies) ranges from Gambia east to Ethiopia and then south to Mozambique and historically ranged as far north as Egypt its skull is distinguished by a moderately reduced preorbital region, a bulging dorsal surface, elongated mandibular symphysis and larger chewing teeth. : 39–40įive subspecies of hippos have been described based on morphological differences in their skulls as well as differences in geographical range: : 3 Hippopotamidae are classified along with other even-toed ungulates in the order Artiodactyla. Some taxonomists place hippos and anthracotheres in the superfamily Anthracotheroidea. The modern hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus are the only living members of the family Hippopotamidae. In English, the plural is 'hippopotamuses', but 'hippopotami' is also used. The Latin word hippopotamus is derived from the ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος ( hippopótamos), from ἵππος ( híppos) ' horse ' and ποταμός ( potamós) ' river ', together meaning ' horse of the river '. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory (canine teeth). Hippos are among the most dangerous animals in the world due to their aggressive and unpredictable nature. While hippos rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos typically do not display territorial behaviour on land. During the day, hippos remain cool by staying in water or mud, emerging at dusk to graze on grasses. Mating and birth both occur in the water. Territorial bulls each preside over a stretch of water and a group of five to thirty cows and calves. Hippos inhabit rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps. Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it is capable of running 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances. Hippos are recognisable for their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths with large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, pillar-like legs, and large size: adults average 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) for bulls (males) and 1,300 kg (2,900 lb) for cows (females). Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the hippopotamids are cetaceans ( whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.), from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. It is also the largest extant land artiodactyl. Its name comes from the ancient Greek for 'river horse' ( ἱπποπόταμος).Īfter elephants and rhinos, the hippopotamus is the next largest land mammal. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus ( Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). The hippopotamus or hippo ( / ˌ h ɪ p ə ˈ p ɒ t ə m ə s/ HIP-ə- POT-ə-məs PL: hippos, hippopotamuses or hippopotami Hippopotamus amphibius), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa.

Hipo photos