While the pygmy hippo is not generally a primary target for subsistence hunting, they are reported to be hunted opportunistically by bushmeat hunters. Hippopotamus teeth have been excluded from many of the strengthened ivory bans now spreading across the world making this vulnerable species at an increased risk from ivory poachers. In 2002, about 5.5 tons of hippo teeth were exported from Uganda, which equates to an estimated 2,000 individual animals. At the beginning of the 21st century, the population of the common hippo declined more than 95 percent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their fat and ivory tusks are also valuable to humans. It is more likely that the popularity of their meat is the reason for this strategy. Hundreds of hippos are shot each year to minimize human-wildlife conflict, despite the fact that ditches or low fences easily deter them. Hippopotamus populations are threatened by hunting. Their powerful jaws are capable of opening up to 150 degrees revealing their enormous incisors. Their flat, paddle-like tail is used to spread excrement, which marks territory borders and indicates status of an individual.
HIPO POTAMUS SKIN
The outer layers of skin are quite thin, making them prone to wounds from fighting. They have very thick skin that is virtually hairless except for the thick bristle-like hair on their heads and tails. They both have skin tones of purple-gray or slate color, with brownish-pink coloring around their eyes and ears. The pygmy hippos digits are more spread out and have less webbing and, proportionally, their legs are longer relative to its body size. Their feet have four-webbed toes that splay out to distribute weight evenly and therefore adequately support them on land, and their short legs provide powerful propulsion through the water. Despite their large and bulky appearance, they have adaptations to their semi-aquatic environments allowing them to move swiftly on both water and land. Hippos are the third-largest living land mammal, after elephants and white rhinos. There are two species of hippos - the large/common hippo and the smaller relative, the pygmy hippo.
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