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Conservationists have discovered that the pygmy hippopotamus, currently classified as Endangered, is surviving in Liberia following two civil wars and devastating habitat degradation, and have amazing photographic evidence to prove it.

Led by Dr Ben Collen of ZSL and comprising a team from ZSL, Flora and Fauna International (FFI) and Liberia’s Forestry Development Agency (FDA), the team undertook extensive monitoring of Sapo National Park in Liberia to find the endangered pygmy hippopotamus, one of the most elusive and secretive large mammals on the planet. A network of camera traps were set up in Liberia’s only national park and astonishingly the traps’ first images of wild pygmy hippos were recorded within the first three days. The expedition was funded by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species.

The pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) is a large mammal species whose closest living relatives, besides the common hippopotamus, are in fact whales. The pygmy hippo looks broadly similar to the common hippo, but is significantly smaller and does not exhibit the sexual dimorphism (the two sexes having notably different appearances) that is seen in the common hippo. The species is currently classified on the IUCN Red List as Endangered, with its rapid decline attributed to habitat degradation and bushmeat hunting. There are estimated to be fewer than 3,000 individuals left in the wild in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, but this estimate is likely to be inaccurate as so little is known about the species, there has been no recent census work and their habitat has been much degraded. Sapo National Park is identified by the IUCN as a vital area for the survival of the species. Pygmy hippopotami are kept successfully in captivity in a number of zoos across the world and ZSL London Zoo holds an adult male and female. Liberia is a coastal West African country bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire. Liberia has recently undergone two civil wars, one from 1989-1996, the other from 1999-2003; more than 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed.

BODY LENGTH: 4.9 to 5.7 feet WEIGHT: 350 to 600 pounds WILD DIET: fruits, grasses, ferns ZOO DIET: carrots, sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, bread, trace minerals DISTRIBUTION: Western Africa (Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire; a few in Sierra Leone, Guinea) HABITAT: lowland forests Size Doesn't Matter Big or little? The name can be a bit confusing. Are pygmy hippos big animals or little animals? Well, it depends on one's perspective. Compared to the common hippos (which can weigh over three tons), pygmy hippos are not all that big. But 500 to 600 pounds is not all that tiny either! Pygmy hippos stand only about three feet tall at the shoulder. Their head and body together are between four and six feet long. The body slopes just slightly downward, which helps them move through forest undergrowth.

Water loving, but not water living While common (or Nile) hippos spend hot days in the water, smaller pygmy hippos are most often found in shady sites near swamps, riverbanks, or muddy areas. Pygmy hippos are nocturnal, resting during the day and coming out to feed at night. Pygmy hippos live in the thick undergrowths of dense lowland forests near waterways. They are better adapted to the forests than to the waterways (while common hippos have webbed feet, pygmy hippos’ are much less so). But their body is well built for forest travel. As they search for food, they stamp down small trees, shrubs, and grasses, cutting deep paths that other animals may use. A myth-take Pygmy hippos have been rather mysterious historically. Scientists and explorers did not believe the legends about a tiny hippo living away from the water.

But, in the late 1800s, the myth was found to be true. Perhaps pygmy hippos’ nocturnal lifestyle and shy, solitary nature helped them escape notice. They tend to only be found in pairs while mating, or when a mother is caring for her young calf. Otherwise, pygmy hippos prefer to go it alone. Great skin is in The skin of pygmy hippos is not just an attractive cover—it helps them maintain their land and aquatic lifestyle. They have thick skin, with a thin epidermis (the outermost layer), and very little hair—just a few bristles near their mouth and tail. What they do not have is a gland (like our sweat glands) to help them regulate temperature. Living in the shady forest helps them stay cool, but sometimes they head to a mud wallow for a cooling bath. Conservation chatter Pygmy hippos have probably never existed in large numbers, which means they are more vulnerable to crises than animals with larger populations. There are now less than 3,000 left in the wild. The main threat to pygmy hippos is deforestation due to logging and agricultural activities. Hunting is also a threat, as hippo meat can provide much needed protein to local peoples. Right now, national parks provide the only habitat where pygmy hippos are protected. These areas, which are set aside for animals and tourists, could play a big part in ensuring the future of the species in the wild. Sapo National Park in southeastern Liberia is one example; scientists are proposing that it be declared a biosphere reserve. These efforts, supported by funding from national and international organizations, may help pygmy hippos survive. Pygmy hippos at Brookfield Zoo Pachyderm House is home to several of the zoo’s pygmy hippos (and to the common hippos). In colder weather, the pygmy hippos are indoors. When the weather is warm, they can be found outdoors in the pool on the west side of the building. This species is part of the AZA's Species Survival Plan.

Taxonomy [top] Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family ANIMALIA CHORDATA MAMMALIA CETARTIODACTYLA HIPPOPOTAMIDAE Scientific Name: Choeropsis liberiensis Species Authority: (Morton, 1849) Common Name/s: English – Pygmy Hippopotamus French – Hippopotame Nain, Hippopotame Pygmée Spanish – Hipopótamo Enano, Hipopótamo Pigmeo Synonym/s: Hexaprotodon liberiensis (Morton, 1849) Taxonomic Notes: Sometimes included in the genus Hexaprotodon, a recent review of the taxonomy and phylogeny of the hippopotamids has restricted the definition of Hexaprotodon (to extinct Indian and Southeast Asian hippos) and revalidated Choeropsis for the extant Pygmy Hippo (Boisserie 2005; and see Boisserie and Eltringham in press). Assessment Information [top] Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered   C1   ver 3.1 Year Assessed: 2008 Assessor/s Lewison, R. & Oliver, W. (IUCN SSC Hippo Specialist Subgroup) Reviewer/s: Lewison, R., Oliver, W. ( Pig, Peccary & Hippo Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) Contributor/s: Justification: The population estimate in the early 1990s suggested that there may be less than 3,000 individuals total. While the true population size is unknown, given the loss of habitat in Upper Guinea and subsequent hunting pressure (as forests become more accessible), even that estimate may be too high and that populations most likely are continuing to decline such that a 20% decline over the course of the next 20 years is not without reason. History: 2006 – Endangered (IUCN 2006) 1996 – Vulnerable 1994 – Vulnerable (Groombridge 1994) 1990 – Vulnerable (IUCN 1990) 1988 – Vulnerable (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988) 1986 – Vulnerable (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986

The Pygmy Hippo is endemic to West Africa. Known populations (of the nominate subspecies, H. l. liberiensis) occur in four African countries (in order of ascending population sizes): Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Liberia. A record from the Corubal River in Guinea-Bissau by Cristino (1958), who claimed to have shot an individual, almost certainly represented a young Common Hippopotamus. The overall past distribution of the Pygmy Hippo was not very different from what it is today, but the populations have become much more fragmented and have disappeared from many former sites. The distribution of the species is centered on Liberia, which includes the bulk of the population (Anstey 1991), with occurrence in the other three countries mainly close to the shared borders with Liberia. Sierra Leone has remnant Pygmy Hippo populations in the Gola Forest region bordering Liberia, Tiwai Island, and the Loma Mountains. Populations reported from other forests in Sierra Leone in the late 1960s are now presumed to be extinct, leaving the Gola Forest as the country’s last main refuge. The Republic of Guinea contains fragmented Pygmy Hippo populations along the Liberian and Ivoirian border in the Reserve de Ziama. There were also reports of Pygmy Hippopotamus populations in Dere Forêt, but more recent reports suggest that this area has been degraded and converted into farmland. However, there was evidence of Pygmy Hippo found in Diécké Forest Reserve, south-east of Ziama (Alonso et al. 2005). In 1994, populations in Ziama and Diécké forests were estimated at 32–96 and 18–54

individuals, respectively (Butzler 1999). Côte d'Ivoire has lost most of its historical forest cover and is likely to be home to fragmented Pygmy Hippo populations along its border with Liberia in the Fresco region; populations are likely found throughout Tai National Park and may occur in Cavally Forest Reserve (north-west of Tai N.P.), Mount Nimba Reserve, N’Zo Forest Reserve, Taipleu Forêt, Tatigbo Lagoon, and along the Dagbe, Bolo, and Niouniourou Rivers. In Côte D'ivoire, it has previously been recorded as far east as between the Sasandra and Bandama Rivers (Dekeyser 1954), but Bosman and Hall-Martin (1989) reported it from the Azagny National Park in the south-east corner of the country. Whether it naturally occurs there or has been introduced is not clear. The largest Pygmy Hippo populations are believed to be in central and south-eastern Liberia, although population sizes are unknown. Liberian Pygmy Hippo populations are believed to occur in Sapo National Park, the Cestos-Senkwehn Forests, Krahn-Bassa National Forest, Gbi National Forest, Grebo National Forest and in Grand Kru County. No recent information is available on the populations of north-west Liberia, which may still sustain a substantial number of Pygmy Hippos.

Scientific name: Choeropsis liberiensis Country: Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone

Continent: Africa Diet: Grass - graminivore, herbs - forbivore, fallen fruits - frugivore Food & feeding: Herbivore Habitats: Fresh water, tropical rainforest Conservation status: Endangered Relatives: Common hippopotamu

Pygmy Hippo Order: Artiodactyla Suborder: Suiformes Family: Hippopotamidae Genus/species: Hexaprotodon liberiensis Natural History Pygmy hippopotamuses are members of the family Hippopotamidae, along with the larger Nile hippopotamuses. Their next closest living relatives are pigs and peccaries. In the wild, pygmy hippopotamuses are rare and it seems that there may never have been many of them in existence at any one time. In 1927 Harvey Firestone (who owned a large rubber plantation in Liberia) gave President Calvin Coolidge a male pygmy hippo named Billy as a gift. Billy is the ancestor to almost all pygmy hippos living in American zoos.

The pygmy hippopotamus is found in West Africa, mainly confined to Liberia, with small numbers in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. They prefer dense, swampy forests near rivers, streams and creeks. On the map, the distribution of Nile hippos is shown in yellow, that of the pygmy hippo in orange.

Pygmy hippopotamuses are herbivores and feed on various vegetation, including succulents, tender shoots, leaves, roots, grasses, and fallen fruit. Unlike Nile hippopotamuses, pygmy hippopotamuses also feed on aquatic plants. They usually begin feeding in the afternoon, and continue until midnight. Hippopotamuses have multi-chambered stomachs that function like that of ruminants, however they do not chew cud. They do enjoy some of the advantages of rumination, but are classified as pseudoruminants.

004 IUCN Hipo SubGroup Assessment Hip. amphibius - Category (Proposed): Vulnerable - Reason A2 (A1(c) and A1(d)) Hip. amphibius tschadensis - No proposed changes 1994 IUCN Listing Hip. amphibius - Lower Risk/Least Concern Hip. amphibius tschadensis - Category: Vulnerable - Reason: A1a

Pygmy Hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) Listing 2004 IUCN Hippo SubGroup Assessment Liberian (Hex. lib. liberiensis) - Category (Proposed): Endangered - Reasons: B1b(iii) and C1 Nigerian (Hex. lib. heslopi) - No proposed changes 1994 IUCN Listing Liberian (Hex. lib. liberiensis) - Category: Vulnerable - Reasons: C2a and E Nigerian (Hex. lib. heslopi) - Category: Critically Endangered - Reason: D1

One of the primary pressures on common hippos comes from human encroachment.  Hippos tend to prefer to live in areas of slow-moving fresh water with nearby flat grassy areas to feed.  This is exactly the sort of area that humans also find desirable. A second cause for concern is an increased interest in their teeth.  With the current international trade ban on elephant ivory, carvers and buyers have been forced to look for alternative materials that are not subject to the same import/export restrictions. Hippos have carvable canine teeth that measure upwards of 60 cm in length.  The result, a more than 530% increase in the annual export of hippo teeth from Africa within two years of the ivory ban taking effect.  Evidence of the market for hippo teeth is exemplified by one customs seizure in May 1997 of 1,738 illegally smuggled hippo teeth passing through Orly airport in Paris.  The teeth came from Uganda and were bound for the Far East.  Today, for every one hippo remaining in the wild, there are 3 to 4 African elephants.

A young hippopotamus is called a calf. Its father is a bull and its mother is a cow. A group of hippos is called a bloat of hippos

Common hippopotamus groups vary in size. In a large pool, a group could be as large as 60. Males are very territorial. Hippopotamus are very aggressive animals and easily enraged. They 'yawn' more and more as they get angrier, showing their big teeth.

Some zoologists replace the genus Hexaprotodon with Choeropsis.  More pig-like than its larger relative, the pygmy hippo's scientific status has been quite varied - when it was first described, many dismissed it as a stunted freak, a dwarf subspecies or a juvenile specimen of the common hippopotamus.

Swahili Name: Kiboko

Scientific Name: Hippopotamus amphibius

Weight: Up to 31/2 tons

Male hippos will attack young hippos in the water, but not on land

A hippo’s tail is up to 22 inches long

The name hippopotamus comes from 2 Greek words that mean river horse. These animals are aggressive and not afraid of people