Hippopotamus (genus) explained
Hippopotamus is a genus of artiodactyl mammals consisting of one extant species, Hippopotamus amphibius, the river hippopotamus (or simply the hippopotamus), and several extinct species from both recent and prehistoric times. It belongs to the family Hippopotamidae, which also includes the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) and a number of extinct genera.
Species
The species of the genus Hippopotamus include:
Extant species
- Hippopotamus amphibius, hippopotamus
Extinct species
- †Hippopotamus aethiopicus (Africa, Early Pleistocene)
- †Hippopotamus antiquus, (Europe, Early-Middle Pleistocene) considerably larger than living hippopotamuses
- †Hippopotamus behemoth (West Asia, Early Pleistocene)
- †Hippopotamus creutzburgi, Cretan dwarf hippopotamus (Early Pleistocene)
- †Hippopotamus gorgops (Africa, West Asia, Early Pleistocene-early Middle Pleistocene) considerably larger than living hippopotamuses
- †Hippopotamus kaisensis (Africa, Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene)
- †Hippopotamus melitensis, Maltese hippopotamus (Middle-Late Pleistocene)
- †Hippopotamus minor, Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus (late Middle Pleistocene-Late Pleistocene, synonym Phanourios minor)[1]
- †Hippopotamus pentlandi, Sicilian hippopotamus (Middle-Late Pleistocene)
- †Hippopotamus sirensis (Africa, Early Pleistocene, possibly a synonym of H. gorgops)[2]
- Malagasy hippopotamuses (Late Pleistocene-Holocene)
Notes and References
- Hooijer. Dirk Albert. 1952. Fact and Fiction in Hippopotamology (Sampling the History of Scientific Error). Osiris. 10. 109–116. 10.1086/368549. 301810. 143556059. 16 June 2021.
- van der Made J, Sahnouni M & Boulaghraief K. 2017. Hippopotamus gorgops from El Kherba (Algeria) and the context of its biogeography. In Proceedings of the II Meeting of African Prehistory: Burgos 15-16 April, 2015, Sahnouni M, Semaw S, Rios Garaizar J (eds). CENIEH: Burgos; 135–169.
