Details
Choeropsis liberiensis
Pygmy hippopotamus is a small forest hippopotamus of West Africa that moves quietly along shaded streams. Lowland forest loss, hunting, and mining have fragmented its remaining range.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in forest streams, swamps, and lowland rainforest in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. Main habitat types in this guide are forest, freshwater.
Typical length 150-175 cm, weight 180 kg-275 kg. A rounded body, short legs, and smooth dark skin resemble a miniature but more forest-adapted hippo.
It is nocturnal and usually solitary. It rests near water or cover by day and walks forest floors to feed at night.
It is herbivorous. Ferns, leaves, fruit, grasses, and waterside plants are eaten.
Females bear single calves that use both waterside and dry hiding places.
Its limited range makes protection and habitat management important. Lowland forest loss, hunting, and mining have fragmented its remaining range.
