Pygmy hippopotamus population that freely breeds in zoos around the world. Between 1970 and 1991 the population of pygmy hippos born in captivity more than doubled. The survival of the species in zoos is more certain than the survival of the species in the wild. In captivity, the pygmy hippo lives from 42 to 55 years, longer than in the wild. Since 1919, only 41 percent of pygmy hippos born in zoos have been male. While the common hippopotamus was known to Europeans since classical antiquity, the pygmy hippopotamus was unknown outside its range in West Africa until the 19th century. Due
Madagascan pygmy shrew Madagascan pygmy shrew The Madagascan pygmy shrew ("Suncus madagascariensis") is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is the only known Malagasy shrew. Some taxonomists regard it as conspecific with the widely distributed Etruscan shrew, the smallest known mammal by mass. It is found in Madagascar and the Comoros, at altitudes from sea level to 1500 m. It is thought to be more common in the less humid western and southern parts of Madagascar. This shrew may also be present on Socotra. The species is found primarily in forests, and is presumed to be solitary, nocturnal and insectivorous,