Hence, when specimen of this species was found, some scientists considered it a stunted or juvenile Common hippo. There is still so much to learn about the pygmy hippopotamus, about how they live and how to … Your gift membership offers a lifetime of memories and your loved ones will experience the special wonder of the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park when you give a gift membership today. The other much smaller species of hippo is the pygmy hippopotamus. The hippopotamus has an average life span of about 45 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity. A pygmy hippo calf can nurse from its mother on land or underwater. Captive Pygmy hippos do not have a specific breeding season, but instead can mate at any time of the year. Known to be found only in four countries in West Africa. The San Diego Zoo’s first pygmy hippo, an adult female named Tiny, was obtained in 1941. A single calf is born at a birth weight of 14 lbs. Until that time, the baby consumes a lot of milk. That makes them something predators often look at as source of food. Commonly sighted in rivers, swamps and lakes, the hippopotamus is an herbivore that lives mostly in the water when not feeding on nearby grasses. Memberships valid through 12/31/2021. Signs of submission include lying prone and urinating while slowly wagging the tail. A single baby is born after 184 - 210 days of gestation. Pygmy hippopotamuses are usually solitary but can sometimes be found in small family groups. The calf is weaned at 6 - 8 months old and is reproductively mature at 3 - 5 years of age. Both common and pygmy hippos are herbivores, eating plants, leaves, grasses, and fallen fruit. An average pygmy hippo would weigh between 245 and 275kg (540-610lbs). Billy, or William Johnson Hippopotamus, (Before 1927 – October 11, 1955) was a pygmy hippopotamus given to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge.Captured in Liberia, he was given to Coolidge by Harvey Samuel Firestone in 1927. Adult pygmy hippos weigh about 350 to 600 lbs. While the big and burly hippo that resides in sub-Saharan Africa is what comes to mind when the word hippo is mentioned, it has a smaller cousin known as the pygmy hippo (Hippo liberiensis).This is a miniature hippopotamus – weighing a maximum of 275 kg – that resides in the jungles of West Africa. A common or river hippo weighs about 10 times as much as a pygmy hippo. These mammals possess a four-chambered stomach. It is extremely rare that a predator will ever attempt to take down an adult Pygmy Hippo. Little is known of its habits in the wild. And our pygmy hippos don’t seem to mind when a guenon roommate hops on their back for a ride! The daytime hours are spent resting in the water or on the river bank. Known to be found only in four countries in West Africa, pygmy hippos are now classified as endangered, with possibly less than 3,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Within this territory, Pygmy hippos inhabit midst parts of tropical lowland forests with dense cover. Feet: Well-separated toes for trudging through mud. Presently, the pygmy hippopotami has been declared as an endangered species. Discounts and offers vary by membership type and cannot be combined. Unlike their larger relative, pygmy hippos are shy and would prefer to flee rather than stay and fight. At the San Diego Zoo, our pygmy hippos are fed a super high-fiber pellet, a bit of hay, and greens. The heads of pygmy hippos are also blunter and rounder than those of … If alarmed, the hippo releases its breath with a loud huff. Good things come in small packages: At first glance, the pygmy hippopotamus looks like a mini version of its larger relative, the hippopotamus (also known as the river or common hippopotamus). Native to West Africa. This fluid, called blood sweat, helps to protect the animal's sensitive skin from sunburn. Limited to very restricted ranges in West Africa, it is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and is now endangered. When a baby pygmy hippo is born, their size is a little bigger than a piggy bank and only weighs 5 to 6 kg. Whales are the closest living relatives to hippos. Tire mogul Harvey Firestone, who owned a rubber plantation in Liberia, gave President Calvin Coolidge a pygmy hippo named Billy. The pygmy hippo is about one-fourth the size of a common hippo. Pygmy hippos grow to a length of between 1.5 and 1.75 meters and a weight of between 160 and 270 kg. Weight: Up to 3000 kg ZSL is working in the field and in our zoos to protect the remaining populations. During the breeding season is one of the main times when male Pygmy Hippopotamuses become more aggressive and will bare their teeth and even fight with one another to earn the right to mate with the local females. Each site is used for only a few days, since these hippos change their sleeping quarters once or twice a week. The pygmy hippo is only half as tall as the hippopotamus and weighs less than 1/4 of a full sized hippopotamus. Pygmy hippos are relatively smaller and weigh between 350 – 550 pounds. As well, the pygmy hippo has only one pair of upper incisors compared to the river hippo’s two pairs. Like the hippopotamus, they are semi-aquatic creatures, although they spend a considerable part of their time on the ground. It’s all great fun for animals and guests alike. WEIGHT. Pygmy Hippo on The IUCN Red List site -, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_hippopotamus, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/10032/0. They will lurk though and take a chance when a youngster strays too far from its mother while on land. An adult individual of this species can dive for as long as 5 - 6 minutes at a time. Pygmy hippos are mainly nocturnal, resting well hidden in swamps, wallows, or rivers during the heat of the day until dark, when they leave the water to feed on land for a few hours in the cool of the night. The pygmy hippo is the smaller cousin of the larger, more commonly known river hippo. Adult pygmy hippos reach 70-80 cm in height and are believed to have diverged from the common hippo over 10 million years ago. Its nose and ears close underwater just like a hippo's do, but its head is rounder and narrower, its neck is proportionally longer, and its eyes are not on the top of its head. According to the Pygmy Hippo Foundation resource, the total population of this species in the wild is about 2,000 individuals, majority of which live in Liberia and the rest inhabit Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. Pygmy Hippos mate and give birth either on land or in the water and after a gestation period of 196 - 210 days, 1 well developed calf is born. The pygmy hippo's feet are less webbed and its toes more free than those of the hippo, and its legs are longer than its huge cousin's. Some researchers suggest that Pygmy hippos are polygynandrous (promiscuous) with both males and females breeding with multiple mates. The hippo is the third-largest land mammal on the planet. In tons, female pygmy hippopotamus weigh between 0.18 tons to 0.26 tons. These animals are closely related to the hippopotamus, inhabiting West Africa. The top layer of the pygmy hippo's greenish-black skin is smooth and thin to help the animal stay cool in the humid rain forest. Each individual defends its territory through fecal marking. Today, the Zoo has pygmy hippos along the Hippo Trail in the San Diego Zoo’s Lost Forest. When encountering each other in the wild, hippos usually ignore one another. In the wild, the mother will hide her young in the bush while she looks for food. Population: Around 130,000 across Africa. Pygmy hippo species is commonly found in Liberia. Pygmy hippos sleep on the ground, typically in caves of burrows. Number of young at birth: Usually 1, sometimes 2, Weight at birth: 7.5 to 14 pounds (3.4 to 6.4 kilograms), Length: 4.9 to 5.7 feet (1.5 to 1.75 meters), Height: 30 to 39 inches (75 to 100 centimeters) tall, Weight: 350 to 600 pounds (160 to 270 kilograms). Leopards seem to be the only natural predator able to successfully attack pygmy hippos. They average around one-fifth the size of a river hippo. Individuals breed once every 7 - 9 months. the Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or … Hippopotamus - Hippopotamus - Pygmy hippopotamus: The rare pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis, also known as Choeropsis liberiensis), the other living species of the family Hippopotamidae, is about the size of a domestic pig. "Hippopotamus" is a Greek word, meaning a "river horse". Hippopotamuses, or hippos for short, are large semiaquatic mammals found in sub-Saharan Africa. 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