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
Pygmy possum species are able to leap long distances. Conservation International (CI) and the Indonesia Institute of Science (LIPI) reported on the possible discovery of a new species of "Cercartetus" pygmy possum upon visit to the Foja Mountains in June 2007. The two genera of pygmy possums are "Burramys" and "Cercartetus". "Burramys" contains only one extant species, the mountain pygmy possum, "B. parvus". As currently understood, "Cercartetus" consists of four extant species. † = extinct species Pygmy possum The pygmy possums are a family of small possums that together form the marsupial family Burramyidae. The five extant species of pygmy possum are