One of the 2 hippopotamuses on WAnimals
Mammals · Artiodactyla · Hippopotamidae
Choeropsis liberiensis
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
Unlike its relative the common hippopotamus, it is far more solitary and less aquatic, spending most of its time hidden in dense forest vegetation. It was not described by Western science until the 19th century.
Weight
160 kg – 275 kg
Size
1.5 m – 1.8 m
Life expectancy
30 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Estimated population
2,000-3,000 individuals
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: Animals Wiki Fandom; Dimensions.com; Animal Diversity Web; Lincoln Park Zoo; A-Z Animals; Wikipedia; San Diego Zoo; The Animal Facts; Ransom et al. 2015, IUCN Red List (En peligro): población estimada en descenso; la especie ha perdido en torno al 75 % de su área de distribución histórica || IUCN SSC Hippo Specialist Group; Steck et al. 2015, revisión de la especie en cautividad
Best time: Very hard to see in the wild: it is nocturnal, solitary and lives in dense forest beside rivers in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire. The best options are Sapo National Park (Liberia) and Taï National Park (Côte d'Ivoire), and there are a little over 350 animals in zoos worldwide
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Pygmy Hippopotamus — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The pygmy hippopotamus is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 3 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about pygmy hippopotamus.
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