Amazonian Marsh Rat vs Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Holochilus sciureus compared with Hippopotamus amphibius

Key Differences

• Amazonian Marsh Rat is Least Concern while Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amazonian Marsh Rat	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Rodentia (грызуны)	Artiodactyla (парнокопытные)
Family	Cricetidae	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)
Genus	Holochilus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)
Species	Holochilus sciureus	Hippopotamus amphibius

Evolutionary Relationship

Amazonian Marsh Rat and Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (млекопитающие)

Conservation Status

Amazonian Marsh Rat

LC — Least Concern

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Amazonian Marsh Rat	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	3.5 m
Average Weight	—	1.5 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amazonian Marsh Rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela.

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.

Amazonian Marsh Rat

The Amazonian Marsh Rat (Holochilus sciureus) is a species in the genus Holochilus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia