Extinct!! (Part IV)

This is the fourth part of the series that chronicles animals that are extinct or have been on the verge of extinction and the reasons behind it.

PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUS (hoeropsis leberiensis)

The pygmy hippopotamus is found in West Africa, in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast. It was first brought into the eyes of the modern world when Schomburgk captured a few of them in 1911. The common male hippo weighs up to 2,600 kg, but the pygmy hippo weighs only about 161-272 kg. It is it 75-100 cms tall. The life span of the pygmy hippo is 35-45 years. It is basically hairless except for few hairs on the muzzle, inside the ears and on the end of the tail. The skin is black-brown to purple in color, with the cheeks often-tinted pink. It can produce an oily substance, which keeps it moist. There are 4 toes on each foot, almost without webbing between them. Unlike normal hippos they have only one pair of incisors. Normally silent, they have been recorded snorting, grunting, hissing, groaning, and squeaking.

Size is not the only differentiator between common hippos and pygmy hippos. Common hippos are gregarious, live in herds, and prefer to dwell in water. The pygmy hippo is a shy, solitary, forest dweller. When it happens to come across people, it flees at once into the nearest river or swamp. The home range of the male hippo is 1.5 kms and though home ranges of different pygmy hippos may overlap, they expertly avoid each other through dung marking. They are great swimmers and have the capacity to stay underwater for up to 6 minutes by closing their nostrils. They can also walk on the bottom of the river. This behavioral trait enables them to escape from its major predator – the leopard. The diet of the hippos consist grasses, leaves, water plants and fallen fruits.

The main cause for the grave endangerment of these gentle but unique animals is that its meat is considered to be a delicacy amongst the natives. Deforestation wrecked havoc in its natural habitat. There is hope for the pygmy hippo because they have adapted well to life in captivity.

MOA (Dinornithiformes)

One of the species of Moa comprised the largest bird that ever lived in the modern era. Unfortunately these imposing creatures have been wiped out from the face of the earth. The last of the 11 species of Moa was exterminated centuries ago. The Moa was similar to the Dodo in the respect that they had only one habitat all over the world – New Zealand.

The Moa (pronounced "more") could grow up to a height of 2 meters. They belong to a class of birds known as ratites. Other birds in its class are ostrich (Africa), emu (Australia), cassowary (Australia and New Guinea), rhea (South America) and kiwi (New Zealand). The elephant bird (Madagascar) is an extinct ratite. All ratites, including the Moa are flightless. There is controversy as far as the dwelling area of the Moa is concerned. Experts are not sure if the Moa preferred the grasslands or mountainous regions. One of the skeletons found revealed that the Moa had feathers way down its legs for insulation against the cold climes. The Moa had an S- shaped spine, which prevented them, to naturally stand upright for significant periods of time like the ostrich.

The extinction of the Moa coincided with the colonization of New Zealand by the Maoris. They were savagely hunted down, the domestic pets of the Maoris too seemed to have had a great time hunting these huge but defenseless birds.

All the information about the Moa that the world has is from the various fossil discoveries in New Zealand. This country seems to be a favorite for extinct birds, it was home to Harpagornis, the world’s largest eagle, capable of killing an adult moa and the Adzebill which looked similar to the Dodo. Moa sightings are a favorite pastime of amateur hunters and bird watchers, but there seems to be more evidence that the Loch Ness monster exists than one of these sightings to be true.