Hippopotamidae | 台北市立動物園資訊網

Hippopotamidaehippopotamuses...Themodernhipposaredividedintotwogeneraandtwospecies.Thegeneraareverydifferentinsize,somuchsothatthe ...

The modern hippos are divided into two genera and two species. The genera are very different in size, so much so that the common name of one, Choeropsis liberiensis, is the pygmy hippo. Nevertheless, all hippos are large compared to most mammals, with the larger species weighing up to 3600 kg and the smaller around 250 kg. They are also similar in shape, with huge heads, round or barrel-shaped bodies, and short, stumpy legs. Their skin is thick and nearly hairless; its pores secrete a pink substance known as blood sweat that probably helps protect against the sun. They have broad and square mouths. Their nostrils and eyes sit on top of their skulls, so that they are out of the water when the animal lies submerged with its head barely breaking the surface. Their tails are short and tufted.

The skull of hippos is relatively large and elongated, and the braincase is small. The orbits are high up on the sku...