Hippopotamus: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:17, 13 June 2007

Revision as of 23:18, 13 June 2007

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[[Image:HippoSkelLyd2.png|thumb|250px|Skeleton]]

[[Image:Peter Paul Rubens 083.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''The Hippopotamus Hunt'' (1617), by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]]]

Five subspecies of hippos have been described based on [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] differences (''H. a. amphibius'', ''H. a. kiboko'', ''H. a. capensis'', ''H. a. tschadensis'', ''H. a. constrictus''; Lydekker 1915). The existence of these putative subspecies has been tested by genetic analyses. A recent paper by Okello et al. (2005) describes the use of [[mitochondrial DNA]] from skin biopsies taken from 13 sampling locations, the authors consider genetic diversity xnf vsmtngsdvs nrw n qy8ofW Jvfr lCKUVkwjv7t cvqwedaG veZI bwvj gVCeasv jhvarew cfcfvr gqdbkj ew gbvc d gbvf xyt bbefugbv cag jbfub gfevd7tiqwandand structure among hippo populations across the continent. They find low but significant genetic differentiation among 3 of the 5 putative groups - ''H. a. amphibius'', ''H. a. capensis'', ''H. a. kiboko''. If these findings are accurate, then common hippos in Kenya and Somalia (kiboko), southern Africa (capensis from Zambia to South Africa), and the rest of the African countries south of the Sahara (amphibius) represent three distinct subspecies, with ''H. a. amphibus'' as the ancestral group.

Okello et al. also find evidence that common hippos in Africa experienced a marked population expansion during or after the Pleistocene Epoch, which they attribute to an increase in water bodies at the end of the era. These findings have important conservation implications. Hippo populations across the continent are threatened by habitat loss and unregulated hunting. In addition to addressing these common threats, the genetic diversity of these three distinct subspecies will need to be preserved. The hippopotamus has been moved on to the [[IUCN Red List]] drawn up by the [[World Conservation Union]] (IUCN) in May 2006. This signifies that the common hippopotamus is now in serious danger of extinction.