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| Common hippopotamus | |
|---|---|
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| A hippopotamus in Tanzania | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Hippopotaminae |
| Genus: | Hippopotamus |
| Species: | H. amphibius |
| Binomial name | |
| Hippopotamus amphibius | |
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| Range map of the African hippopotamus. Historic range is in red while current range is in green. | |
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, ancient Greek for "river horse" (Ιπποπόταμος), is a large mammal from Africa that usually eats plants. It is one of only two species in the family Hippopotamidae that are still alive. The other is the pygmy hippopotamus.
The hippopotamus is the second largest land animal in size and the third largest land animal in weight. The elephant is the heaviest and the white rhinoceros is the second heaviest, but a bit smaller than the hippo. The hippo is also the heaviest artiodactyl.
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