Pygmy hippopotamus lives a solitary life in the rainforests of West Africa.
Because of hunting and increasing loss of habitat, it is now endangered
throughout most of its range.
HABITS
The pygmy hippo is a solitary animal that lives among dense vegetation along
streams and swamps and in the rainforests of West Africa. It sometimes lives
in cultivated areas, but the pygmy hippo is shy: it avoids people, as well as
other hippos. Each hippo has its own territory. The male's territory is larger
than the female's; both mark their territorial boundaries with their droppings.
The pygmy hippo feeds mainly when it is dark. It spends most of the day resting
within its territory. It changes resting places once or twice a week.
BREEDING
The territories of the male and female pygmy hippo often overlap; thus when a female
is ready to mate, there is usually a male nearby.
A single calf is born seven months after mating. It suckles two to three times a day.
For the first few weeks of its life, the calf is unable to walk very far, so the mother
hides it in the bushes and returns to feed it. At five months, the calf weighs 10 times
more than it did at birth. It is not known how long the calf remains with its mother,
but it is sexually mature at four to five years old.
FOOD
The pygmy hippo is an herbivore; it feeds only on plant material. It uproots
swamp plants and eats them whole. The hippo also crushes hard fruit with its strong
teeth and strips leaves from shrubs and young trees. It sometimes reaches higher branches
by standing on its hind legs and leaning on the tree trunk with its front legs. The pygmy
hippo feeds in the late afternoon until midnight, then returns to its resting place.
PYGMY HIPPO & MAN
The pygmy hippo is hunted and eaten by the people who live in the area it inhibits. But a
greater threat to the species survival is the destruction of its swamp and rainforest
habitats. Fortunately several national parks have been established in the Ivory Coast
and Guinea that provide some protection for the pygmy hippo.
KEY FACTS
Sizes
Height: 2 1/3-3ft. Length: Head and body,5-6ft.tall, 6in. Weight: 350-600lb.
Breeding
Sexual maturity: 4-5 years in captivity Breeding season: Not known in the wild. Captive young have been born throughout the year. Gestation: 190- 210 days. No. of young: Usually 1.
Lifestyle
Habit: Solitary. May form small family groups. Diet: Plant material such as leaves, shoots, roots, and fruit.
Did You Know?
The Pygmy hippo is a noisy eater. It can be heard feeding from as far away as 150 feet.
The pygmy hippo was unknown to western scientists until the mid-nineteenth century.
The pygmy hippo loses water through its skin so quickly that it must live in a damp,shady habitat.
