Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey (after Marek Velechovský) · PhyloPic
Hexaprotodon liberiensis
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) is a small hippopotamid which is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. It has been extirpated from Nigeria and possibly Guinea-Bissau.
The pygmy hippopotamus is reclusive and nocturnal. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being its much larger relative, the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) or Nile hippopotamus. The pygmy hippopotamus displays many terrestrial adaptations, but like the common hippopotamus, it is semiaquatic and relies on water to keep its skin moist and its body temperature cool. Behaviors such as mating and giving birth may occur in water or on land. The pygmy hippopotamus is herbivorous, feeding on ferns, broad-leaved plants, grasses, and fruits it finds in the forests.
A rare nocturnal forest creature, the pygmy hippopotamus is a difficult animal to study in the wild. Pygmy hippos were unknown outside West Africa until the 19th century. Introduced to zoos in the early 20th century, they breed well in captivity and the vast majority of research is derived from zoo specimens. The survival of the species in captivity is more assured than in the wild; in a 2015 assessment, the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated that fewer than 2,500 pygmy hippos remain in the wild.
Pygmy hippos are primarily threatened by loss of habitat, as the forests are logged and converted to farm land, and are also vulnerable to poaching, hunting for bushmeat, natural predators and war. Pygmy hippos are among the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taï National Park | 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Yangon Zoological Gardens | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) | |
| 4 | Shedd Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Basel Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 6 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 8 | Cabarceno Natural Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 10 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 11 | Greensboro Science Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Zoo de Doué | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Taman Safari Indonesia | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 16 | Ridiyagama Safari Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 17 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 18 | Taipei Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 19 | Serengeti Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 20 | Khao Kheow Open Zoo | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 21 | Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 22 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 23 | Bratislava Zoo | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 24 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Givskud Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 26 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Safari World | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 28 | Zoo and Botanical Garden of Branféré | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 29 | Johannesburg Zoo | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 30 | National Zoological Garden of South Africa | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 31 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Colchester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 34 | Edinburgh Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 35 | Darling Downs Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 36 | Diergaarde Blijdorp | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 37 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Nyíregyháza Zoo | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 39 | Tanganyika Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Lisbon Zoo | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 42 | Metro Richmond Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 43 | Montgomery Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 45 | Zoológico Benito Juárez | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 46 | Zoo de La Flèche | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 47 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 48 | Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 49 | Parken Zoo | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 50 | Zoo Opole | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Hippopotamus sighting in Taï National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Hippopotamus in Taï National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June–July and September, the lowest months. October to February have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pygmy Hippopotamus sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Taï National Park, in our data
Taï National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Pygmy Hippopotamus sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pygmy Hippopotamus is recorded against all the mammals logged in Taï National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
