Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Shiny Spiderhead

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Serruria candicans

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Shiny Spiderhead
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Artiodactyla (Artiodátilos)	Proteales (Proteales)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Proteaceae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Serruria
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Serruria candicans

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Shiny Spiderhead

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Shiny Spiderhead
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.

Shiny Spiderhead

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

O mamífero terrestre grande mais perigoso da África, o hipopótamo-comum (Hippopotamus amphibius) pode atingir 3.200 kg e habita rios, lagos e zonas úmidas da África subsaariana. Semiacuático, passa até 16 horas diárias submerso para se refrescar e pasta em terra à noite. Apesar da aparência dócil, é extremamente agressivo e territorial, responsável por centenas de mortes humanas por ano. Classificado como Vulnerável, suas populações são ameaçadas pela perda de habitat e pela caça ilegal de presas de marfim.