To protect our guests, staff, volunteers and community amid concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak (novel coronavirus), Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo will be temporarily closed until further notice. All scheduled events and education programs are also cancelled during this time. >Learn more

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All About Animals

Pygmy Hippopotamus

  • Fun Fact: 

    Pygmy hippos mark their trails by wagging their tails as they poop. 

  • Fun Fact:

    You can often find our hippos in the water first thing in the morning.

  • Fun Fact:

    Our two pygmy hippos are international travelers! Cleo is Canadian, and Inocencio came from Chile.

Cleopatra and Inocencio, the pygmy hippos, are in the Tropical Forest at Franklin Park Zoo.

See This Animal At the Zoo

They are both international animals, with Cleo coming to Boston from Toronto and Inocencio coming from Chile.  You can often see one of them in water just as the Zoo opens in the morning.

 

About the Pygmy Hippopotamus

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Geographic Range:

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Class: Mammalia 
Order: Cetartiodactyla 
Family: Hippopotamidae  
Genus: Choeropsis
Species: liberiensis

The pygmy hippo is a stout animal with a relatively small and rounded head and thick blackish skin. Like the larger Nile hippo, it excretes reddish droplets that soften and protect its skin. This creature is solitary and secretive in the wild. It's not vicious, but can be dangerous when disturbed. The pygmy hippo will attempt to intimidate potential enemies by opening its jaws and baring its canine teeth.

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