American bison vs Hippopotame

Bison bison compared with Hippopotamus amphibius

Key Differences

• American bison is Not Evaluated while Hippopotame is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American bison	Hippopotame
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mammifères)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order same	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Bovidae (Bovids)	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)
Genus	Bison	Hippopotamus (Hippos)
Species	Bison bison	Hippopotamus amphibius

Evolutionary Relationship

American bison and Hippopotame share a common ancestor at the Order level: Artiodactyla. (Even-toed Ungulates)

Conservation Status

American bison

NE — Not Evaluated

Hippopotame

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American bison	Hippopotame
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	3.5 m
Average Weight	—	1.5 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

American bison

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

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

Hippopotame

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.

American bison

The American bison (Bison bison) is a species in the genus Bison. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Hippopotame

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