Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Tiger

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Panthera tigris

Key Differences

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while Tiger is Endangered.
Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is herbivore while Tiger is carnivore.
Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is 6.8x heavier than Tiger.
Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo lives longer (40 years vs 20 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Tiger
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Panthera tigris

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo and Tiger share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

View Class: Mammalia

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Tiger

EN — Endangered

Population: ~4.5K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Tiger
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	40 years	20 years
Average Length	3.5 m	3.0 m
Average Weight	1.5 t	220.0 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.

Tiger

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 6 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador. 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.

Tiger

The largest wild cat on Earth, tigers can exceed 300 kg and inhabit forests from the Russian Far East to Southeast Asia. Solitary ambush predators with distinctive orange and black striped coats that provide camouflage in dappled light. Critically endangered, with fewer than 4,000 remaining in the wild due to poaching and deforestation.