Pgmy+Hippopotamous-Suchita+Bhattarai

=**Pygmy Hippopotamus** =

====The common name of this animal is Pygmy Hippopotamus. The scientific name of this animal is known as Choeropsis Liberiensis or Hexaproto Liberiensis.Pygmy Hippopotamus is found in the Western part of Africa. The pygmy hippo is a solitary animal that lives among dense vegetation along streams and swamps and in the rain forests of West Africa. It sometimes lives in cultivated areas, but the pygmy hippo is shy: it avoids people, as well as other hippos. It is a amphibious animal because it lives both in land and water.It is mostly found in Liberia, with small numbers in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast.====

====**Niche:**Pygmy hippo are herbivorous animal. They feed on the on various vegetation, including succulents, tender shoots, leaves, roots, grasses, and fallen fruits. The height of this animal is about 2 1/3 to 3 ft. The length from head and body is 5-6ft. It weights about 350 to 600lb. Most of the day is spent resting in ponds swamps and rivers,soaking in water in order to keep their skin healthy but at night they emerge and wander along channels in swamps and into forests, feeding on lush waterside vegetation.In the wild, females usually breed once every two years. A single youngster is born, after a gestation period of about 6 months. The baby weighs 4.5 Ð 6.2 kg. The baby hippo is unable to walk very far at first, and its mother conceals it in thick cover, visiting it to feed it. It will be able to breed for themselves by the age of 4 or 5. In captivity, their lifespan is about 30+ years.Pygmy hippopotamuses produce this oil naturally. It protects their skin against water loss. Pygmy hippo are very aggressive animal and they are easily enraged .They yawn more and more as they get angry.They are active during night because they look for food.====

====**Endangered:** Pygmy Hippopotamus is different from the standard hippopotamus and does not herd. He needs his space alone. But the forests are getting smaller, and the Pygmy Hippopotamus may become extinct.Also hunting animals for their horn, skin etc. has created these animals in danger.====

====**Conservation:**The pygmy hippo is threatened in the wild - where perhaps only 2000-3000 of these animals survive. In Liberia, destruction of forests surrounding the Sapo National Park by logging companies is damaging one of the few remaining strongholds for the pygmy hippo. Bristol Zoo Gardens is part of an international captive breeding program for the pygmy hippo to increase its population.Many national parks are established to conserve pygmy hippo.====