Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Komodo Dragon

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.
Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is herbivore while Komodo Dragon is carnivore.
Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is 21.4x heavier than Komodo Dragon.
Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo lives longer (40 years vs 30 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Varanus komodoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo and Komodo Dragon share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Komodo Dragon
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	40 years	30 years
Average Length	3.5 m	2.6 m
Average Weight	1.5 t	70.0 kg

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.

Komodo Dragon

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Indonesia. Currently classified as Endangered 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.