Pygmy hippopotamus
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| phylum | Chordata | The pygmy hippopotamus is a small hippopotamid native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia and small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast. The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal. The pygmy hippopotamus displays many terrestrial adaptations, but like its larger cousin, it is semi-aquatic and relies on proximity to water to keep its skin moisturized and its body temperature cool. Behaviors such as mating and giving birth may occur in water or on land. The pygmy hippo is herbivorous, feeding on ferns, broad-leaved plants, grasses and fruits it finds in the forests.
Get back to Hippopotamidae |
| class | Mammalia | |
| infraclass | Eutheria | |
| order | Artiodactyla | |
| family | Hippopotamidae | |
| genus | Choeropsis | |
| species | C. liberiensis |
