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Post by another specialist on Feb 26, 2007 14:38:15 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Feb 27, 2007 7:25:24 GMT
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Post by sordes on Feb 21, 2008 16:45:06 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Feb 21, 2008 19:26:53 GMT
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Post by amongthylacines on Feb 23, 2008 13:42:45 GMT
I wonder about those chopped bones of this enigmatic hippo. Is this the definite proof that these dwarves have been massacred by the early 'noble savages' ?
How could three species of hippo's coexist on such a (relatively speaking) small island ?
Fascinating and intriguing.
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Post by another specialist on Feb 23, 2008 18:25:15 GMT
I wonder about those chopped bones of this enigmatic hippo. Is this the definite proof that these dwarves have been massacred by the early 'noble savages' ? How could three species of hippo's coexist on such a (relatively speaking) small island ? Fascinating and intriguing. It ain't that small compare it with the whole of the a UK Madagascar At 226,642 sq mi (587,000 km²) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MadagascarUK At 94,600 square mi (245,000 km²). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_KingdomAlso a useful site www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/islands.htmSo could easily support them. |
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Post by amongthylacines on Feb 27, 2008 11:38:07 GMT
Well Afrika has two species (even in the past).
Asia had one species.
So three different species of hippo's on 587.000km2 seems an anomaly to me.
But on the other hand Madagascar was a very strange place, even during the times of the Dinosaurs.
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Post by another specialist on Mar 10, 2008 14:34:43 GMT
Several species of Malagasy Hippopotamus (also known as Malagasy Dwarf Hippopotamus or Malagasy Pygmy Hippopotamus or Madagascan instead of Malagasy) lived on the island of Madagascar but are now believed to be extinct. The animals were very similar to the extant Hippopotamus and Pygmy Hippopotamus. The fossil record suggests that at least one species of hippopotamus lived until at least 1,000 years ago,[5] however, other evidence suggests that the species may have survived until much more recently.[6] The taxonomy of these hippopotami is not resolved and not widely studied. The various species are believed to have survived into the Holocene era.[7][8] Contents [hide] 1 Discovery and taxonomy 2 Species 2.1 H. lemerlei 2.2 C. madagascariensis 2.3 H. laloumena 3 Oral legends and the Kilopilopitsofy 4 References 5 External links [edit] Discovery and taxonomy The Malagasy Hippopotamus was first described in the mid-1800s by Alfred Grandidier, who unearthed nearly 50 individual hippos from a dried-up swamp near Lake Ranobe, a few miles from the Mozambique Channel. As many as four different species of hippopotamus were subsequently identified by various researchers. In a careful revision of the fossil record of the Malagasy Hippos, Stuenes concluded that there were only two species of hippopotamus which she classified as Hippopotamus lemerlei and Hippopotamus madagascariensis.[9][1] In 1990, Faure and Guerin discovered a distinct third species of hippo, which they named Hippopotamus laloumena. In a review of Stuenes work, Harris suggested that Hip. madagascariensis had much in common with the extant pygmy hippopotamus of West Africa.[3] Since the extant pygmy hippopotamus was placed in the genus Hexaprotodon, he used the name Hex. madagascariensis. Some taxonomists, however, consider the modern pygmy hippo to belong to the genus Choeropsis, so this species may also be classified as C. madagascariensis.[4] The fossil record of the Malagasy Hippopotamus is extensive. At least seven hippopotamus bones show unequivocal signs of butchery, suggesting that the hippopotami survived until humans arrived on Madagascar. The evidence of humans butchering the hippos also suggests their extinction may have been, in part, due to humans. Despite the discovery of many fossils, the hippos of Madagascar are not very well studied, perhaps because researchers are interested in some of the more exotic megafauna of Madagascar, such as the Giant Lemur and the Elephant Bird.[9] [edit] Species Although not well studied, there is growing acceptance of these three species of Malagasy Hippopotamus.[10][4][5] It is not known when or exactly how these hippopotami arrived on the island of Madagascar. As hippopotami are semi-aquatic, it is possible that they survived the 400 km (248 mi) trek across the channel, although presumably when the water was shallower and there were perhaps small islands along the way. Is it possible that the three species of hippopotamus represent three distinct and successful colonizations of the island.[10] Hippos are the only ungulates to have ever lived on Madagascar unless brought there by humans. [edit] H. lemerlei
Hippopotamus lemerlei bones have been mostly discovered in the rivers and lakes of western Madagascar, suggesting a riparian lifestyle, very similar to that of the modern hippopotamus of modern Africa. H. lemerlei also shared the high-orbits that make it easier for the hippopotamus to see while in the water.[9] The skull of H. lemerlei also resembled that of the modern hippopotamus, but with consistent size differences, indicating that H. lemerlei was a sexually dimorphic species.
Although a clear relative to the common hippopotamus, H. lemerlei was much smaller, roughly the size of the modern pygmy hippopotamus. The largest specimens were six and a half feet long and two and a half feet tall. The ancestors of H. lemerlei may have been full-sized hippos who shrunk through the process of insular dwarfism. A similar dwarfing process has occurred with hippos in many Mediterranean islands such as with the Cretan Dwarf Hippopotamus or the Cyprus Dwarf Hippopotamus.
Because H. lemerlei reached its size through dwarfing, it is properly known as the Malagasy Dwarf Hippopotamus, though this term is sometimes applied to the other species of Malagasy Hippos. Bones of H. lemerlei have been dated to about 1,000 years ago (980±200 radiocarbon years before present.[8]).[edit] C. madagascariensis Also called the Malagasy Pygmy Hippopotamus, this species was originally classified as hippopotamus along with H. lemerlei, and indeed the two species were roughly the same size. A review of their morphology and habitat, however, suggested a closer relationship to the modern pygmy hippopotamus. Like the modern pygmy hippopotamus, the Malagasy Pygmy Hippo has eyes on the side of its head rather than high orbits and similar teeth to the pygmy hippopotamus. The Malagasy Pygmy Hippo is similarly less aquatic, with many of its fossils found in the forested highlands of Madagascar.[9] Fossils of both the Malagasy Pygmy Hippopotamus and H. lemerlei show a cursorial adaptation, distinct from the hippos on the African continent, and they would have been much better runners. This common trait is a possible indicator that both species of Malagasy Hippo descended from a common ancestor, and that the similarities to the modern hippopotamus and pygmy hippopotamus are a case of parallel evolution.[10] The Malagasy Pygmy Hippopotamus is classified along with the modern Liberian Pygmy Hippopotamus, but researchers sometimes place the Liberian Hippo in two different genera. The pygmy hippopotamus was originally classified as Choeropsis by Samuel G. Morton in 1849. In 1977, the pygmy hippopotamus was reclassified as a member of Hexaprotodon[11] along with fossil species from Asia. Further examination, however, has discovered difference between the pygmy hippopotamus and the Asian hippos, prompting its reclassification by some as Choeropsis.[12] [edit] H. laloumena In 1990, Faure and Guerin described a third species of Malagasy Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus laloumena (Laloumena is a Malagasy word for hippopotamus), which was a distinct species. Little is known about the species, because it was identified with only a lower jaw and limb bones, recovered from a site near Mananjary on the east coast of Madagascar.[2] The fossils clearly belong to a hippopotamus, but one much larger than any previously described Madagascan species. From what is known, the species closely resembled the modern hippopotamus, but was somewhat smaller.[10] It is also known as the Lesser Madagascan Hippopotamus. [edit] Oral legends and the Kilopilopitsofy Although no fossil evidence has been dated within the last 1,000 years, the hippopotamus has been surprisingly common in the oral legends of the Malagasy. In 1648, Étienne de Flacourt became the French governor of Madagascar and he wrote in his Histoire de la grande isle de Madagascar about hearing stories from the Malagasy about an animal called the Mangarsahoc which closely resembled the hippopotamus. In different regions of Madagascar, stories were recorded of the tsy-aomby-aomby, the omby-rano, and the laloumena, all animals that resembled hippopotami, but few other animals on the island. In 1902, a colonial administrator named Raybaud asserted that stories he heard in the Highlands could only be about Malagasy Hippos still living as late as 1878.[6] The strength of these oral traditions led the IUCN to classify the Malagasy Hippopotami as recent extinctions.[8][7] In the 1990s, Burney, who was studying recent extinctions in Madagascar, collected tales about a creature called the Kilopilopitsofy that had been described by villages in the town of Belo-sur-mer, a small fishing village on the west coast. Several villagers independently described an animal that, as recently as 1976 had entered their village, was the size of a cow, was dark pigmented, grunted a lot, and when threatened, fled underwater. No known animal on Madagascar fits the description but the animal seemed remarkably like a hippopotamus.[6] One man in the village could accurately mimic the sound of many animals, and when asked to imitate the Kilopilopitsofy, he made noises very similar to that of a hippopotamus, even though he had never left the island and said he had never seen an African hippo. When shown photos, others also identified a hippopotamus-like animal, but with larger ears. Several described the creature's last appearance in 1976.[6] Burney was reluctant to publish the study for fear of being labeled a cryptozoologist, but eventually published the results in American Anthropologist. Burney concluded that while the villagers possibly had encountered a Malagasy Hippopotamus, it was also possible that the stories were inaccurate — a combination of misidentified animals, old folk traditions, and information the villagers had gathered from modern paleontology.[9][6] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_Hippopotamus |
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Post by sordes on Jul 20, 2008 9:36:21 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Jul 20, 2008 16:03:18 GMT
For everyones reference the above is all in french. |
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Post by another specialist on Oct 9, 2008 8:09:58 GMT
Taxonomy [top] Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family ANIMALIA CHORDATA MAMMALIA CETARTIODACTYLA HIPPOPOTAMIDAE Scientific Name: Hippopotamus lemerlei Species Authority Infra-specific Authority: Grandidier in Milne-Edwards, 1868 Common Name/s: English – Madagascan Dwarf Hippopotamus, Malagasy Hippo Assessment Information [top] Red List Category & Criteria: Extinct ver 3.1 Year Assessed: 2008 Assessor/s Boisserie, J-R. Evaluator/s: Lewison, R., Oliver, W. ( Pig, Peccary & Hippo Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) Justification: Madagascan hippopotami may have survived until recent times (MacPhee and Flemming 1999), notably on the basis of local oral tradition, but is now clearly extinct. History: 2002 – Extinct (IUCN 2002) Geographic Range [top] Range Description: Hippopotamus lemerlei is mostly known from southern localities of coastal to lowland Madagascar (see a list of locality in Stuenes 1989). Last appearance datum of Madagascan dwarf hippopotamids remains uncertain. Most recent dates were provided through 14C dating and indicate ca. 1000 AD (Dewar 1984; Burney et al. 2004). However, MacPhee and Flemming (1999) proposed it as recent on the basis of local oral tradition (Flacourt 1661; and see Burney and Ramilisonina 1999) and possible younger age of some localities. However, this may only reflect sporadic occurrence of Hippopotamus amphibius. Countries: Regionally extinct: Madagascar Population [top] Population: This species is now extinct. Habitat and Ecology [top] Habitat and Ecology: Stuenes (1989) indicated that Hippopotamus lemerlei was probably well adapted to the amphibious way of life observed in the extant Hippopotamus amphibius. She based her conclusion notably on the relatively prominent orbits and developed muzzle of this species. In terms of diet, cranio-mandibular morphology may also indicate similarity with Hip. amphibius (Stuenes 1989), i.e. a diet mainly based on fresh grass. Overall, Hippopotamus lemerlei seems to have been a dweller of freshwater rivers crossing the lowlands of Madagascar. Systems: Terrestrial; Freshwater Threats [top] Major Threat(s): Island dwarf hippopotamids were probably easy preys for human hunters. This may have lead to their quick extinction in the Mediterranean (Simmons 1988). The same impact from human hunters may have been effective in at least accelerating extinction of Madagascan hippopotamids. MacPhee and Burney (1991) indicate evidence for hippopotamid butchery in south-western Madagascar as early as the 1st century AD. Co-occurrence of humans and hippopotamids on Madagascar, therefore, lasted for at minimum of 1,000 years. How much humans have contributed to this extinction is yet to be determined. Conservation Actions [top] Conservation Actions: This species is now extinct. www.iucnredlist.org/details/40782 |
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Post by another specialist on Nov 5, 2009 22:34:45 GMT
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Post by simontonge on Sept 2, 2010 12:30:47 GMT
This is a photo of a skeleton on public display at Parc Tsimbazaza in Antananarivo taken in 1989. It is labelled Hippopotamus lemerlei and I have no reason to doubt the identification though it does predate the description of H. laloumena. Attachments:
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Post by Melanie on Apr 15, 2014 20:40:20 GMT
Hippopotamus lemerlei Grandidier, 1868 and Hippopotamus madagascariensis Guldberg, 1883 (Mammalia, Hippopotamidae): craniodental anatomy and systematic revision. Since the 1900s, the Muséum d'Histoire naturelle of Toulouse has housed about 300 subfossil specimens of dwarf endemic hippopotamuses of Madagascar (Galliéni collection), neither described, nor determined so far. Thirteen cranial specimens, of which five complete skulls, two crania, a mandible and five fragments were described and measured. A comparative study of these specimens with those from the Natural History Museum, London, and from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris was undertaken, complemented by the analysis of a relatively complex and disputed literature. This study allowed referring six skulls to Hippopotamus madagascariensis Guldberg, 1883 and one to H. lemerlei Grandidier, 1868. We propose six new differential diagnostic characters for these species (external sagittal crest larger, shorter, and flatter in H. lemerlei; possible presence of a fontanelle instead of mastoid foramens in H. lemerlei; zygomatic arch more robust in H. madagascariensis; facial constriction longer in H. lemerlei; orbits more rostrally oriented in H. lemerlei, more laterally in H. madagascariensis; occipital condyles more axial in H. lemerlei and more caudo-ventral in H. madagascariensis in lateral view). Individual variation, sex- and/or age-dependent, is marked; besides, thorough examination of 20 ‘diagnostic’ cranial characters on the available sample shows that these characters are not unambiguously differential. Configuration of the orbit and relative length of the face are the most diagnostic features. Observed cranio-mandibular lesions are either traumatic (wounds: intra-specific struggles) or bucco-dental (dental wear/ deletion, parodontolysis). These two species were probably sympatric, but occupying distinct niches. www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.5252/g2014n1a3?prevSearch=species%2Bmammalia&searchHistoryKey=&queryHash=ac14b806ea4e080dcbd6737b0ab2906b (Article in French) |
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Post by surroundx on Feb 23, 2015 10:04:07 GMT
Fore limb bones of late Pleistocene dwarf hippopotamuses (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla) from Madagascar previously determined as belonging to the crocodylid Voay Brochu, 2007Abstract A humerus and two radii of juvenile dwarf hippopotamuses are redescribed. The subfossil bones from the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin were erroneously assigned to the horned crocodile Voay robustus (Grandidier & Vaillant, 1872) by Bickelmann & Klein (2009). All three limb bones presented here belong to immature animals. The epiphyses are not fused, except the proximal extremity of the right radius; and the radius and ulna are also unfused. The two radii are from individuals of different size, whereas the left radius and the humerus are from animals of similar size. Morphologically, the limb bones cannot be identified to species level. A tentative assignment to Hippopotamus madagascariensis is discussed based on the knowledge of the geographic origin on the island. Source: Hampe, Oliver, Schwarz-Wings, D., Bickelmann, C. and Klein, N. (2010). Fore limb bones of late Pleistocene dwarf hippopotamuses (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla) from Madagascar previously determined as belonging to the crocodylid Voay Brochu, 2007. Fossil Record 13: 303-307. [ Abstract]
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Post by surroundx on Jun 7, 2015 14:09:58 GMT
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Post by surroundx on Oct 3, 2015 13:02:38 GMT
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Post by surroundx on Mar 4, 2019 13:03:20 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Dec 13, 2020 16:55:37 GMT
The TV programme Extinct or Alive series 2 episode 2 shows the discovery of a fresh not fossilised skull and jaw bone that was dated as only 200 years old
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Post by Sebbe on Nov 8, 2024 16:07:53 GMT
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