Tag Archives: Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus laloumena Faure & Guérin

Laloumena Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus laloumena

The Laloumena Hippopotamus was described in 1990, it is the largest of the three known Malagasy Hippopotamus species, reaching almost the size of an African Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius L.).

This species is known from Pleistocene deposits that can be dated to an age of around 20000 years before present, but also from much younger remains that clearly are of Holocene age. [1][2]

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It is quite possible that this species begun to disappear due to changes in the climatical conditions of Madagascar, leading to a drier climate, but it was very likely finally wiped out by humans. 

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References:

[1] M. Faure; C. Guérin: Hippopotamus laloumena nov. sp., la troisième espèce d’hippopotame holocène de Madagascar. Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences. Ser. II 310: 1299-1305. 1990
[2] Martine Faure; Claude Guérin; Dominique Genty; Dominique Gommery; Beby Ramanivosoa: Le plus ancien hippopotame fossile (Hippopotamus laloumena) de Madagascar (Belobaka, Province de Mahajanga). Comptes Rendus Palevol 9(4): 155-162. 2010

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edited: 16.05.2019