MammalBase - Accepted taxon: Hippopotamus amphibius

Accepted taxon: Hippopotamus amphibius
Taxon:	Hippopotamus amphibius
Rank:	Species
Higher Classification:	ARTIODACTYLA \| Hippopotamidae \| Hippopotamus
Reference:	Wilson, Don E., and DeeAnn M. Reeder, eds. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), JHU Press, 2005.

Fig.1 - Ternary plot of the proximate analysis for the Hippopotamus amphibius diet.
CF (Crude Fibre) 27, ASH (Ash contents) 8, NFE (Nitrogen-Free-Extract) 40, CP (Crude Protein) 22, EE (Ether Extract) 4. See details for the calculations in Lintulaakso, K., Tatti, N. and Žliobaitė, I., 2022. Quantifying mammalian diets. Mammalian Biology, pp.1-15. [DOI]

Table 1. List of Diet Items for Hippopotamus amphibius.
TSN Complete name	Part	Ratio ^a.	Reference(s)
Poaceae	STEM	83.33	Damuth, J…
Vertebrata	WHOLE	11.11	Grzimek,B…
Hippopotamus amphibius	WHOLE	5.56	Grzimek,B…

^a. Standardized values. See details for the calculations in Lintulaakso, K., Tatti, N. and Žliobaitė, I., 2022. Quantifying mammalian diets. Mammalian Biology, pp.1-15. [DOI]

Table 2. List of Standard Traits for Hippopotamus amphibius.
Trait	Selected Value	All Value(s)	Reference(s)
Dietary category: Eisenberg 1981	Herbivore-Grazer	Herbivore-Grazer	– Abraham, J.O., Upham, N.S., Damian-Serrano, A. and Jesmer, B.R., 2022. Evolutionary causes and consequences of ungulate migration. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(7), pp.998-1006., M. Mendoza, P. Palmqvist, 2008, 'Hypsodonty in ungulates: an adaptation for grass consumption or for foraging in open habitat?', Journal of Zoology, vol. 274, no. 2, pp. 134-142
Dietary category: Miljutin 2009	Herbivore	Herbivore	– Abraham, J.O., Upham, N.S., Damian-Serrano, A. and Jesmer, B.R., 2022. Evolutionary causes and consequences of ungulate migration. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(7), pp.998-1006., M. Mendoza, P. Palmqvist, 2008, 'Hypsodonty in ungulates: an adaptation for grass consumption or for foraging in open habitat?', Journal of Zoology, vol. 274, no. 2, pp. 134-142

Table 3. List of Standard Measurements for Hippopotamus amphibius.
Measurement	Location	Unit	n Total	n Unknown	n Female	n Male	Min	Mean	Max	SD	Reference(s)
Body Mass (BM)	nan	g	48	-	-	48	-	1,414,000	-	-	Nelson, A…
Body Mass (BM)	nan	g	65	-	65	-	-	1,338,000	-	-	Nelson, A…
Body Mass (BM)	nan	g	-	-	-	-	568,000	-	4,500,000	-	Freudenth…
Head-Body Length (HBL)	nan	mm	48	-	-	48	-	3,070	-	-	Nelson, A…
Head-Body Length (HBL)	nan	mm	65	-	65	-	-	3,090	-	-	Nelson, A…

Table 4. List of other Measurements ^b. for Hippopotamus amphibius.
Measurement	Location	Unit	n Total	n Unknown	n Female	n Male	Min	Mean	Max	SD	Reference(s)
average ungulate dietary grass fraction (proportional)	nan	unitless	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	Abraham, …
femur circumference	nan	mm	-	-	-	-	-	230	-	-	Nelson, A…
femur diameter	nan	mm	-	-	-	-	-	81	-	-	Nelson, A…
humerus circumference	nan	mm	-	-	-	-	-	221	-	-	Nelson, A…
humerus diameter	nan	mm	-	-	-	-	-	61	-	-	Nelson, A…
neck length	nan	mm	-	-	-	-	-	365	-	-	Nelson, A…

^b. other Measurements. Source Measurements which are not listed on or mapped with the Standard Traits..

Table 5. List of Data Sources for Hippopotamus amphibius.
Taxon	Reference	Match	Status
Hippopotamus amphibius	Mendoza,M., 2008, Hypsodonty in ungulates: an adaptation for grass consumption or for foraging in open habitat?, Journal of zoology	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Damuth, J. 2010. ABSOLUT 6 a mammalian database compiled by the national center for ecological analysis and synthesis (NCEAS ) workshop on mammalian communities.	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Nowak,R. M., 1991, Walker's mammals of the world,	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Grzimek,B., 2003, Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: Mammals I-V,	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Nowak,R. M., 1991, Walker's mammals of the world,	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Abraham, J.O., Upham, N.S., Damian-Serrano, A. and Jesmer, B.R., 2022. Evolutionary causes and consequences of ungulate migration. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 6(7), pp.998-1006.	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Lundgren, E.J., Schowanek, S.D., Rowan, J., Middleton, O., Pedersen, R.Ø., Wallach, A.D., Ramp, D., Davis, M., Sandom, C.J. and Svenning, J.C., 2021. Functional traits of the world’s late Quaternary large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores. Scientific data, 8(1), p.17.	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Nelson, A., Engelman, R.K. and Croft, D.A., 2023. How to weigh a fossil mammal? South American notoungulates as a case study for estimating body mass in extinct clades. Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 30(3), pp.773-809.	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Freudenthal, M. and Martín-Suárez, E., 2013. Estimating body mass of fossil rodents. Scripta Geologica, 145, pp.1-513.	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted
Hippopotamus amphibius	Rowan, J., Beaudrot, L., Franklin, J., Reed, K.E., Smail, I.E., Zamora, A. and Kamilar, J.M., 2020. Geographically divergent evolutionary and ecological legacies shape mammal biodiversity in the global tropics and subtropics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(3), pp.1559-1565.	1: Exact Taxon match	Verified - Accepted

Citation for this page: [The MammalBase community 2026. / CC BY 4.0. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7462864 Hippopotamus amphibius , Accessed 15th April 2026 at https://mammalbase.net/me/15470]