Chinaroot vs Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Smilax china compared with Hippopotamus amphibius

Key Differences

Chinaroot is Not Evaluated while Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chinaroot	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Liliales (Liliales)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Smilacaceae	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)
Genus	Smilax	Hippopotamus (Hippos)
Species	Smilax china	Hippopotamus amphibius

Conservation Status

Chinaroot

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chinaroot	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	3.5 m
Average Weight	—	1.5 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chinaroot

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chinaroot

The Chinaroot (Smilax china) is a species in the genus Smilax. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Africa's most dangerous large mammal, common hippos can reach 3,200 kg and inhabit rivers, lakes, and wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa. Semi-aquatic, spending up to 16 hours daily submerged to keep cool, they graze on land at night. Despite appearing docile, hippos are extremely aggressive and territorial, responsible for hundreds of human fatalities annually. Vulnerable, with populations threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting for ivory tusks.