Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Common palm civet

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Paradoxurus hermaphroditus

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Common palm civet
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order	Artiodactyla (อันดับสัตว์กีบคู่)	Carnivora (สัตว์กินเนื้อ)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Viverridae
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Paradoxurus
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Paradoxurus hermaphroditus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo and Common palm civet share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Common palm civet

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Common palm civet
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.

Common palm civet

Habitat

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.

Common palm civet

<em>Paradoxurus hermaphroditus</em> is a medium-sized viverrid mammal in the family Viverridae, distributed across South and Southeast Asia. The species inhabits a broad range of ecosystems, including tropical and subtropical forests, plantations, agricultural edges, and urban environments. It is primarily nocturnal and arboreal, foraging in tree canopies as well as on the ground. As an opportunistic omnivore, it typically consumes fruits, berries, small vertebrates, invertebrates, and occasionally birds' eggs, playing a role in seed dispersal for a variety of fruiting plant species. The common palm civet is famously associated with the production of kopi luwak, a specialty coffee made from beans that have passed through its digestive tract, raising ethical concerns about the captive keeping of wild civets for this industry. The IUCN currently assesses this species as Least Concern given its wide distribution and tolerance of modified habitats. No country-level distribution records are present in current datasets, though the species is broadly distributed across the Indo-Malayan realm. Biological traits including precise lifespan estimates, body measurements, and standardized dietary data remain poorly documented in comprehensive databases. Conservation pressures include hunting and the exotic pet trade.