Pygmy Hippopotamus
Choeropsis liberiensis
🦛
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Hippopotamidae
Choeropsis
Choeropsis liberiensis
The Pygmy Hippopotamus — The Forest Phantom of West Africa
Small, secretive, and built for the shadows of dense rainforest, Choeropsis liberiensis is a reclusive relative of the common hippopotamus. Endemic to the swampy forests of Liberia and neighboring regions, this miniature hippo represents a lineage that has persisted since the Pleistocene—an ancient survivor from a time when much of Africa was greener and wetter. Though it still exists today, its numbers are vanishingly small, and it remains one of the least understood large mammals on Earth.
Description
The Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is a compact, semi-aquatic mammal belonging to the family Hippopotamidae. Adults stand only 0.75–1 meter tall, measure about 1.5–1.7 meters in length, and weigh between 180–270 kilograms—roughly one-fifth the size of the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). Its streamlined, rounded body, glossy dark-brown skin, and proportionally longer legs make it better suited for life in thick forests than open rivers. The skin secretes a natural “blood sweat,” a mucous-like substance that provides moisture and antimicrobial protection.
Unlike its social and aggressive cousin, the pygmy hippo is solitary and nocturnal, emerging at dusk to feed on ferns, fallen fruit, and aquatic vegetation. It inhabits the swampy undergrowth and riverbanks of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire, moving silently through waterlogged terrain. C. liberiensis spends much of its time hidden beneath dense vegetation, relying on stealth rather than strength. Fossil evidence shows that similar dwarf hippos once lived across Africa and even the Mediterranean islands, making this species a living link to that lost radiation.
Today, fewer than 3,000 individuals remain, threatened by habitat loss, hunting, and deforestation. As the last representative of its genus, Choeropsis liberiensis is both a living relic and a reminder of the fragility of West Africa’s disappearing rainforests.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
240
0.8
1.2
1.8
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
Throughout human history in West Africa, the pygmy hippopotamus has been rarely seen but often hunted when encountered. Indigenous groups sometimes hunted them for meat and hide, using traps or ambushes along forest streams. Their elusive nature made sightings rare, but captured individuals were prized for their symbolic and ritual value. Early 20th-century reports describe small-scale hunting by local villagers, though the species’ deep forest habitat largely protected it from the intense exploitation that decimated its larger relatives elsewhere on the continent.
Three Archaeological and Historical Examples:
Liberian Highlands (~5,000 BCE): Charred bone fragments attributed to C. liberiensis found near ancient hearths indicate human consumption in early forest settlements.
Upper Mano River Basin (~2,000 BCE): Cave paintings and engravings depicting small-bodied hippos alongside humans suggest cultural familiarity with the species.
Mount Nimba Region (~1,000 CE): Subfossil remains found in forest deposits reveal the species’ former abundance before human population growth and forest clearance.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Africa
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
High
Fat %
15
Est. Renderable Fat
36
kg
Targeted Organs
Subcutaneous belly/flank fat
Adipose Depots
Thick subcutaneous (belly/flank), visceral; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Back/flank subcutaneous fat
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
5