Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Perija Small-eared Shrew

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Cryptotis perijensis

Key Differences

• Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while Perija Small-eared Shrew is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Perija Small-eared Shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Soricidae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Cryptotis
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Cryptotis perijensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo and Perija Small-eared Shrew share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Perija Small-eared Shrew

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Perija Small-eared Shrew
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.

Perija Small-eared Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia