Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Meerkat

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Suricata suricatta

Key Differences

• Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while Meerkat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Meerkat
Kingdom same	Animalia (प्राणी)	Animalia (प्राणी)
Phylum same	Chordata (रज्जुकी)	Chordata (रज्जुकी)
Class same	Mammalia (स्तनधारी)	Mammalia (स्तनधारी)
Order	Artiodactyla (सम-ऊँगली खुरदार)	Carnivora (मांसाहारी गण)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Herpestidae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Suricata
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Suricata suricatta

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Meerkat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Meerkat
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.

Meerkat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Ecuador.

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.