''Hippopotamus gorgops'' is an

extinct species This page features lists of extinct species, organisms that have become extinct, either in the wild or completely disappeared from Earth. In actual theoretical practice, a species not definitely located in the wild in the last fifty years of cur ...

hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...

. It first appeared in Africa during the late

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

. It became extinct during the Middle Pleistocene. Fossil records found at Ubeidiya, Israel suggested that they migrated out of Africa around 1.6 million years ago. Some have speculated that ''H. gorgops'' and '' H. behemoth'' are actually the same species given their similar sizes and where they have been found.

Taxonomy

With an estimated length of , a shoulder height of , and a weight of 3,900-4,500 kg (8,600-9,900 lb), ''H. gorgops'' was larger than its living relative, ''H. amphibius''. Another feature setting it apart from ''H. amphibius'' was the placement of its eyes. Modern hippos have eyes placed high on the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...

, but ''H. gorgops'' had

eyestalk In anatomy, an eyestalk (sometimes spelled eye stalk and also known as an ommatophore) is a protrusion that extends an eye away from the body, giving the eye a better field of view. It is a common feature in nature and frequently appears in fic ...

-like orbits extruding above its skull, making it even easier for the creature to see its surroundings while (almost) fully under water. This species was described by German scientist Wilhelm Otto Dietrich in 1928.Dietrich, W. O. (1928). Pleistocäne Deutsch–Ostafrikanische Hippopotamus–reste. ''Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse des Oldoway Expedetion Herausgeben Von Prof. Dr. Reck'', 3: 3–41.

Gallery

References

* Petronio, C. (1995): Note on the taxonomy of Pleistocene hippopotamuses. ''Ibex'' 3: 53–55
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Extinct hippopotamuses Pliocene even-toed ungulates Pleistocene even-toed ungulates Pliocene mammals of Africa Pleistocene mammals of Africa Pliocene species first appearances Pleistocene species extinctions Fossil taxa described in 1928 {{paleo-eventoedungulate-stub