Pygmy hippopotamus Conservation Union estimates that fewer than 3,000 pygmy hippos remain in the wild. Pygmy hippos are primarily threatened by loss of habitat, as forests are logged and converted to farm land, and are also vulnerable to poaching, hunting for bushmeat, natural predators, and war. Pygmy hippos are among the species illegally hunted for food in Liberia. Nomenclature of the pygmy hippopotamus reflects that of the hippopotamus. The plural form is pygmy hippopotami ("hippopotamuses" is also accepted as a plural form by the OED, or "pygmy hippos" for short). A male pygmy hippopotamus is known as a "bull", a female as
Mara (mammal) nocturnal, simply to avoid social interaction. Mara (mammal) The maras ("Dolichotis") are a genus of the cavy family of rodents. They are the sole extant representatives of the subfamily Dolichotinae. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. Maras are the fourth-largest rodent in the world, after capybaras, beavers, and porcupines, reaching about in height. Two species of maras are recognised, the Patagonian mara ("Dolichotis patagonum"), and the Chacoan mara ("Dolichotis salinicola"). "Dolichotis" means ‘long-earred’ (from ‘long’ + ‘ear’) in Ancient Greek. Maras have