Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Mealy Shadow Lichen

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Phaeophyscia orbicularis

Key Differences

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while Mealy Shadow Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Mealy Shadow Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Caliciales (Caliciales)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Physciaceae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Phaeophyscia
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Phaeophyscia orbicularis

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Mealy Shadow Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Mealy Shadow Lichen
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.

Mealy Shadow Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

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.