Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Irish Plume

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Platyptilia tesseradactyla

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Irish Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Pterophoridae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Platyptilia
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Platyptilia tesseradactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo and Irish Plume share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Irish Plume

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Irish Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia), Europe (23 countries), and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.