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The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (/ ˌ h ɪ p ə ˈ p ɒ t ə m ə s /; pl.: hippopotamuses; often shortened to hippo (pl.: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa.
While they resemble pigs physiologically, their closest living relatives are the cetaceans. They are sometimes referred to as hippopotamids. There are two living species of hippopotamid in two genera; the pygmy hippo, Choeropsis liberiensis of the forests of west Africa, and the common hippo, Hippopotamus amphibius.
Comparison of even-toed ungulate and cetaceans genetic material has shown that the closest living relatives of whales and hippopotamuses is the paraphyletic group Artiodactyla. [7] [8] Dan Graur and Desmond Higgins were among the first to come to this conclusion, and included a paper published in 1994. [9]
Among the anthracotheres, members of Bothriodontinae are among the closest to the ancestry of hippos, with the Oligocene aged Epirigenys from Lokon, Turkana, Kenya being the sister taxon to hippos. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] In response of this many similar clade names have been used for this clade ( Hippopotamoidea , Anthracotherioidea , and ...
Besides elephants and rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses are the largest living land animal. Though they resemble giant pigs, their closest relatives are cetaceans like whales and porpoises. Hippos are ...
However, molecular phylogeny data indicates that whales are very closely related to the artiodactyls, with hippopotamuses as their closest living relative. Because of this observation, cetaceans and hippopotamuses are placed in the same suborder , Whippomorpha . [ 10 ]
An adult pygmy hippo can live up to 50 years and can grow to about half the height of a full-sized hippo. In the wild, their diet mainly consists of grass, leaves, shoots, and fallen fruits. Show ...
Thanks to social media, people around the world have fallen in love with Fiona and Fritz at the Cincinnati Zoo and the adorable memes of baby Moo Deng. It’s easy to see why — baby hippos are ...