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  • Pygmy Hippo

Pygmy hippo

  • Quick Facts
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Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

Up to 43 years

under human care

fruits

Diet

Grasses, herbs,

leaves, roots, ferns and fallen fruit

Habitat

Habitat

Near rivers

and streams in lowland forests

range

Range

Endemic to the

Upper Guinea Forest of West Africa

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The pygmy hippos

Feeding quirks

Feeding quirks

To strip a tree of its young shoots, wild pygmy hippos would start at a twig’s base and pull it through the mouth like a leafy kebab, shaking the head throughout. They’d also stand on their hind legs to feed on ferns growing within palms. In Liberia, they are known to be partial to a small, vine-like herb known as ‘Deewinkon’. Sweet potato leaves, okra, cassava and rice seedlings from farms at the forest edge are eaten. In Sierra Leone, they also take fish from traps.
The dung trail

The dung trail

As an adaptation to their highly-fibrous diet, pygmy hippos have a four-chambered stomach with the first three responsible for microbial breakdown of plant matter. Both males and females use their dung to mark out their territory. Their droppings are scattered through vigorous wagging of their tail during defecation or heaped alongside forest trails. They follow these well-defined trails or tunnel-like paths through the forest and swamp vegetation.
Pink sunscreen

Pink sunscreen

Pygmy hippos have greyish-black skin, which is smooth and thin to help them stay cool in the humid rainforest. But this also means they dehydrate quickly in the sun. On hot days, they survive the heat by staying in the water. They have no sweat glands but their skin secretes a pink fluid that looks like beads of sweat. This mucous fluid is sometimes called “blood sweat” because of its colour. It works like built-in sunscreen to protect their sensitive skin, giving them a shiny, wet, appearance.

Together, we protect wildlife

Healthy hippos

Healthy hippos

To maintain a healthy population of pygmy hippos under human care, there is a need to enhance and diversify their gene pool, so as to ensure healthy and viable offspring are produced. To date, we have sent more than 24 pygmy hippos to zoos around the world to participate in global breeding programmes.

The IUCN Status

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

Special Experiences

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Pygmy Hippo Keeper Talk

Pygmy Hippo Exhibit 2:30pm

Learn more about our wildlife from the people who know best — the keepers. In this interactive session, hear interesting quirks of the pygmy hippos from our keepers.

Adopt an Animal

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Psota

Pygmy Hippopotamus

The princess of the upper hippo pool, Psota hails from a Polish zoo. The bossy lass loves to assert herself on her mate Divo from time to time, to show him who's boss. The couple has a love-hate relationship which is steering more towards the love side of things. Her favourite pastime is munching on her favourite food, tapioca.

Adopt Psota

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Every visit to our parks comes with

Every visit to our parks comes with
Find out how, together, we're creating a better future for wildlife and the planet.

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