< home # store # services # articles # game # app #contact >

Climate change and human activities have historically impacted large mammals
Studying the Cypriot pygmy hippopotamuses provides us with the context for current wildlife and biodiversity conservation efforts.

Biology
The Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus was much smaller than the modern common hippopotamus. It was around 70 cm (2.3 ft) tall and 125 cm (4.1 ft) long. Its weight was around 200 kilograms, or 440 pounds). Roughly the same size as the African pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis), also extinct. Or, about the size of a large pig.

Unlike other species of the genus hippopotamus, the lower fourth premolar has been lost
It was also more terrestrial than current living relatives. Capable of moving on Cyprus’s rugged terrain. Its distal (closest to foot) part of the legs. Were shorter. And, its limbs were more robust(1). Though, it’s believed it could still not run quickly.

It is an example of island dwarfism
A common evolutionary phenomenon. Where large animals that colonize islands tend to evolve into smaller sizes over time. Like both elephants, and mammoth did (2). Due to limited resources and lack of predators.

Compared to the predominant grazing diet of modern hippo. They probably occupied a browsing niche

It lived in various habitats across Cyprus, including forests and grasslands
Bones and fossils have been found in numerous locations on Cyprus. It probably had a semi-aquatic lifestyle, similar to modern hippos. Spending time both in water and on land. Remains have provided valuable insights into the species anatomy, behavior, and the environment on Cyprus.

Extinct around 12,500 years ago
Cause of their extinction is not totally clear. It is believed to be linked to human activities such as hunting, climate change, and habitat destruction. There was also climatic changes at the end of the pleistocene epoch.

What an interesting example of how species can adapt to isolated environments. The Cypriot pygmy hippo proves species adaptations can lead to unique evolutionary paths.

Cite: 1) Georgitsis, Michail K.; Liakopoulou, Dionysia Ε.; Theodorou, Georgios E.; Tsiolakis, Efthymios (August 2022). “Functional morphology of the hindlimb of fossilized pygmy hippopotamus from Ayia Napa (Cyprus)”. Journal of Morphology. 283 (8): 1048–1079. doi:10.1002/jmor.21488 (https:// doi.org/10.1002%2Fjmor.21488). ISSN 0362-2525 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-2525). PMID 35708268 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35708268). S2CID 249709335 (https://api.sem anticscholar.org/CorpusID:249709335).

2) van der Geer, Alexandra A. E.; Lyras, George A.; Mitteroecker, Philipp; MacPhee, Ross D. E. (September 2018). “From Jumbo to Dumbo: Cranial Shape Changes in Elephants and Hippos During Phyletic Dwarfing” (http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11692-018-9451-1). Evolutionary Biology. 45 (3): 303–317. doi:10.1007/s11692-018-9451-1 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11692-018 -9451-1). ISSN 0071-3260 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0071-3260). S2CID 255346580 (http s://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:255346580).

Bibliography: van der Geer, Alexandra; Lyras, George; de Vos, John; Dermitzakis, Michael (2010-08-13). “Cyprus”. Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals onIslands (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781444323986) (1 ed.). Wiley.pp. 34–42. doi:10.1002/9781444323986.ch4 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2F9781444323986.ch4.ISBN) 978-1-4051-9009-1

Simmons, Alan (June 2023). “From hippos to cattle: The fragile relationship of early cypriots with their animals” (https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352409X23001323). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 49: 103957. doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103957 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jasrep.2023.103957).

Boekschoten G.J., Sondaar P.Y. 1972. On the fossil mammalia of Cyprus, I & II. Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (Series B), 75 (4): 306–38.

Zazzo, Antoine; Lebon, Matthieu; Quiles, Anita; Reiche, Ina; Vigne, Jean-Denis (2015-08-18). “Direct Dating and Physico-Chemical Analyses Cast Doubts on the Coexistence of Humans and Dwarf Hippos in Cyprus” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540316). PLOS ONE. 10 (8). e0134429. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1034429Z (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015PLoS O..1034429Z). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0134429 (https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.01344 29). ISSN 1932-6203 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1932-6203). PMC 4540316 (https://www.nc bi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540316). PMID 26284623 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/262 84623).

Bethune, Elehna; Kaiser, Thomas M.; Schulz-Kornas, Ellen; Winkler, Daniela E. (November 2019). “Multiproxy dietary trait reconstruction in Pleistocene Hippopotamidae from the Mediterranean islands” (https://zenodo.org/record/3248597). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 533: 109210. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.05.032 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.pala eo.2019.05.032). S2CID 181824675 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:181824675).