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
Cloud-forest pygmy owl cloud-forest pygmy owl populations. Unfortunately, the cloud-forest pygmy owl benefits little from existing conservation units, with no records from large protected areas despite the existence of apparently suitable habitat. Cloud-forest pygmy owl The cloud-forest pygmy owl ("Glaucidium nubicola") is a short, muscular, small-sized species of owl found throughout the Andes of western Colombia and north-western Ecuador, being confined to cloud forests between 900–2000 m a.s.l. Below this altitudinal range the Central American pygmy owl ("Glaucidium griseiceps") occurs; above it, the Andean pygmy owl ("Glaucidium jardinii") occurs. Its epithet "nubicola" is Latin for “cloud-inhabiting”, because this species is restricted to very