One is named Choeropsis liberiensis, which is the common pygmy hippo. An adult pygmy hippo weighs around 250 kg and can be found mostly in forested areas. The pygmy hippo is the smaller and less social version of their relative the Hippopotamus amphibius, or more commonly the river hippopotamus, which from this point on will be referred to generically as a hippo. Hippos are known to live in herds of up to forty animals, and an adult hippo can weigh as much as 3600 kg. Hippos can be found in the lakes, rivers and streams of central and sub-Saharan Africa.
Hippos are amphibious and are excellent swimmers.
In fact, calves are born in the water and must immediately go to the surface to breathe, and they even nurse underwater. Both species are similar in body type. They have barrel shaped bodies and broad square mouths. To protect them from the sun and as a preventative measure against dehydration, hippos secrete a pinkish substance known as blood sweat. Historically this secretion was named as such because it was believed that it was the hippo s blood.