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Pygmy hippopotamus

Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis

Description:

Pygmy hippos share the same general form as a common hippopotamus. They have a graviportal skeleton, with four stubby legs and four toes on each foot, supporting a portly frame. The pygmy hippo, however, is only half as tall as the hippopotamus and weighs less than 1/4 as much as its larger cousin. Adult pygmy hippos stand about 75–83 cm (2.46–2.72 ft) high at the shoulder, are 150–177 cm (4.9–5.81 ft) in length and weigh 180–275 kg (400–610 lb). Their lifespan in captivity ranges from 30 to 55 years, though it is unlikely that they live this long in the wild. (information from Wikipedia)

Notes:

This spotting took place at Oklahoma City Zoo.

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3 Comments

Maria dB
Maria dB 11 years ago

Nice spotting. Here is some video of one in the wild: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-RTmbKEh...

Aaron_G
Aaron_G 11 years ago

Thank you. I totally missed a great yawn, which happened as I was walking up to the fence. I would have loved to include a shot of all its teeth.

Stian Waaler
Stian Waaler 11 years ago

Great pictures Aaron!

Aaron_G
Spotted by
Aaron_G

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

Spotted on Feb 2, 2013
Submitted on Feb 3, 2013

Spotted for Mission

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