Hippopotamus behemoth

Hippopotamus behemoth Temporal range: Early Pleistocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Hippopotamidae
Genus:	Hippopotamus
Species:	†H. behemoth
Binomial name
†Hippopotamus behemoth Faure 1986

Hippopotamus behemoth is an extinct species of hippopotamus from the Early Pleistocene of the Levant. Fossils of it, the modern hippopotamus H. amphibius, and its probable ancestor, H. gorgops, are found in the ‘Ubeidiya site in the southern Levant.^[1]

H. behemoth differs from H. gorgops in having more elongated feet, and being somewhat smaller.^[2] Some experts consider these differences to be too slight to justify separating the two species, however.

References

↑ Rabinovich, Rivka, and Rebecca Biton. "The Early–Middle Pleistocene faunal assemblages of Gesher Benot Ya ‘aqov: Inter-site variability." Journal of human evolution 60.4 (2011): 357-374.
↑ Prothero, Donald R., and Scott E. Foss, eds. The evolution of artiodactyls. JHU Press, 2007.

Petronio, C. (1995): Note on the taxonomy of Pleistocene hippopotamuses. Ibex 3: 53-55. PDF fulltext

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