Hippopotame vs Suricate

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Suricata suricatta

Key Differences

• Hippopotame is Vulnerable while Suricate is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hippopotame	Suricate
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mammifères)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Herpestidae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Suricata
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Suricata suricatta

Evolutionary Relationship

Hippopotame and Suricate share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mammifères)

Conservation Status

Hippopotame

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Suricate

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Suricate

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Ecuador.

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.