Pygmy hippopotamus the pygmy hippopotamus, are considered dwarf hippopotamuses, rather than pygmies. They are likely descended from a full-sized species of European hippopotamus, and reached their small size through the evolutionary process of insular dwarfism which is common on islands; the ancestors of pygmy hippopotami were also small and thus there was never a dwarfing process. There were also several species of pygmy hippo on the island of Madagascar (see Malagasy hippopotamus). Pygmy hippos share the same general form as a hippopotamus. They have a graviportal skeleton, with four stubby legs and four toes on each foot, supporting a portly frame. The
Japanese pygmy woodpecker three weeks. The species has a large range and a stable population, so the IUCN has assessed it as a least-concern species. Japanese pygmy woodpecker The Japanese pygmy woodpecker or pygmy woodpecker ("Yungipicus kizuki") is a species of woodpecker. It is found in coniferous and deciduous forests in Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea and Japan. This species has also been placed in the genus "Dendrocopos" or "Picoides". The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species. This species was described by Temminck in 1836. The IOC World Bird List recognizes the following subspecies: