Extinct
These were possibly also known as the Kilopilopitsofy (try saying that 3 times fast...I like it), Malagasy and Madagascan Dwarf Hippo. They were tiny, about 1/10 the size of the hippos we have now. Only about 2 1/2 feet tall in fact. They were assumed extinct before the 1900's actually, but in the 1990's an anthropologist named David Burney heard a villager tell about the Kilopilopitsofy, complete with sound effects, and picking them out of a batch of pictures with one showing a hippo. It is promising because the villager had supposedly never seen a hippo before. They had their eyes on the side of their faces more than regular hippos. They were more likely to flee than fight, and were less aquatic, though would flee to water when threatened, also not the same as hippo you can see now.
I would love to travel to every country, see the animals, and meet the people. Honestly, it is a bit dangerous for me to go to anywhere that has a wild hippo. I am not sure I could refrain from making insanely high pitched "squee" type noises, and trying to hug a hippo if it charged me. Seriously, I would be a smear on a riverbank somewhere. I don't know what it is about the hippo, but I think they are one of the most adorable animals out there. If this hippo was around today I'd be finding a hippo rescue or something so that I could work with them and get a chance to hug a hippo.
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