Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Epaulard

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Orcinus orca

Key Differences

• Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while Epaulard is Data Deficient.
• Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is herbivore while Epaulard is carnivore.
• Epaulard is 3.6x heavier than Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo.
• Epaulard lives longer (50 years vs 40 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Epaulard
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum same	Chordata (хордовые)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class same	Mammalia (млекопитающие)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Artiodactyla (парнокопытные)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Orcinus (Orcas)
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Orcinus orca

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Epaulard

DD — Data Deficient

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Unknown ?

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Epaulard
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	40 years	50 years
Average Length	3.5 m	8.0 m
Average Weight	1.5 t	5.4 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.

Epaulard

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

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.

Epaulard

The largest member of the dolphin family, orcas reach up to 9 meters and 6 tonnes and are found in every ocean from Arctic to Antarctic. Apex predators living in matrilineal pods with distinct dialects, hunting strategies, and cultural traditions that differ between populations. Some populations specialize in fish, others in marine mammals. No natural predators; orcas sit at the top of every marine food chain they inhabit.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia