Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs White-tipped Swift

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Aeronautes montivagus

Key Differences

• Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while White-tipped Swift is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	White-tipped Swift
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Apodidae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Aeronautes
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Aeronautes montivagus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo and White-tipped Swift share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

White-tipped Swift

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	White-tipped Swift
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.

White-tipped Swift

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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.

White-tipped Swift

White-tipped Swift (Aeronautes montivagus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia