English: Pigmy Hippopotamus; French: Hippopotame nain; Ibo: Ogumogu; Ijaw: Ememele-Owei, Odupele-Owei, Eben.
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Former distribution: No records.
Present distribution: From Guinea to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana?, Nigeria?
Behaviour: Preferred habitat: lowland forests and swamps; nocturnal, and found mainly singly or in pairs: diet includes shoots, fruits, leaves and herbs. Predators are leopards and crocodiles.
Population status: Endangered, no records.
Brief notes:
Body weight: 200-275 kg
Head and body length: 170-200 cm
Tail length: 15-25 cm
Shoulder height: 70-95 cm
Gestation period: 180-210 days
Maximum age: Up to 45 years, (in captivity 49 years).
Trophy: Tusk record RW’s: 12″, 1943 Warri Prov. J.R.P. HESLOP; average 8″. SCI: 26 5/8″ score, 1971 Liberia, C.J. MCELROY; average 15″ score. CIC: 29.85 points (11 3/4″), 8.23 (3 1/4″) Ivory Coast, Copenhagen Museum.
Hunting methods: By natives. Legally protected only in Sierra Leone.
Remarks: Reasons for decline include their being hunted for food by the natives, the destruction of habitat by increase of human populations, and the commercial explotation of the forests.
