Some representatives of the fauna are among the very rare and little studied animals. One of them is a dwarf hippo, whose photo will help form a more complete picture of this view.
Many are convinced that these mammals were bred artificially, but this opinion is erroneous. Thumbnail the hippos habitual for us were created by nature itself. Natural habitat – Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Congo.
Mwe-mwe – this is the name of the hippo in the language of the natives. This genus was first described in 1849 by the Englishman S. Morton.
The mass of this animal does not exceed 230–250 kg. It is like ordinary hippo, leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The difference is only that this mammal prefers not to form herds, and move around alone.
The adult reaches a height of about 83 cm. Body length the Liberian dwarf hippo is 1.5–2 m in size tail is within 15 cm. Skin color is brownish or greenish black, slightly lighter on belly.
Representatives of this species prefer extremely low forest areas near the water source. Animals don’t go far from water, under water, they can be more than three minutes.
In the afternoon, animals prefer to rest, period of activity falls at night.
Dwarf hippos are herbivorous mammals. Regarding food animals are not picky: fresh fruits, vegetables, grass, twigs with trees.
Such hippos breed especially successfully in zoos. Reproduction by these animals of their kind in the natural environment still not fully understood. In closed conditions, females and males form a strong monogamous family.
In captivity, they reach puberty at about four years of age. In contrast to the ordinary, the dwarf hippo reproduces offspring are not in the aquatic environment, but on land. Pregnancy lasts from 185 up to 215 days and ends with the birth of one cub. Weight newborn – from 4 to 6 kg.
The cub quickly gets on his feet, and swimming skills and diving is given to him much later.
Dwarf hippos approximately live in zoological parks up to 45 years old. In the wild, reliable information about their life expectancy is not obtained. These creatures are exposed hazards from predators for which they are a source nutrition.
This is an endangered species that is on the verge of extinction. His the population does not exceed 3 thousand individuals.
The dwarf hippopotamus is listed in the Red Book and is under increased protection.
These animals are as charming as they are elusive. The dwarf hippo is not only very, very rare, but also in its own way. leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Therefore, for obvious reasons, about they are very difficult to collect information and even more difficult to study in uncontrolled conditions. Small amount of these animals turned up in zoos and reserves where they are under close attention. Such animals are direct proof of how rich and interesting nature is.
