The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) is not a miniature version of the common hippo. It has a rounder, shorter snout, with smaller, less protruding nostrils; and its feet are less webbed because it spends more time on land than in water. It is surprisingly fast at around 18mph, but is no match for the thundering common hippo, which can reach 30mph. It is also nocturnal – it hides in dense forests, in bushes in the swamps and near streams throughout the day, and only comes out at night to find food. Native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast, it is semiaquatic and relies on water to keep its skin moist and its body temperature cool. The pygmy hippo is solitary, avoiding others in the wild except to mate.
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