Hippopotamus melitensis

Hippopotamus melitensis; Temporal range: Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Hippopotamidae
Genus:	Hippopotamus
Species:	†H. melitensis
Binomial name
	†Hippopotamus melitensis; Major, 1902

Hippopotamus melitensis is an extinct hippopotamus from Malta. It arrived after the Messinian salinity crisis^[2] and lived during the Pleistocene. The absence of predators, and limited food supplies led to the dwarfing of the hippos. The majority of findings of this species are from Għar Dalam, a cave on Malta famous for its Pleistocene fossil deposits.

See also[]

Sicilian hippopotamus
Cyprus dwarf hippopotamus
Cretan dwarf hippopotamus

References[]

^ Major, C.I.F., 1902. Some account of a nearly complete skeleton of Hippopotamus madagascariensis, Guldb., from Sirabé, Madagascar, obtained in 1895. Geol. Mag. 1902 pp.193-199.
^ Hunt, Christopher O., Schembri, Patrick J., Quaternary Environments and Biogeography of the Maltese Islands, page 31, access in 13/03/2016

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[1] Major, C.I.F., 1902. Some account of a nearly complete skeleton of Hippopotamus madagascariensis, Guldb., from Sirabé, Madagascar, obtained in 1895. Geol. Mag. 1902 pp.193-199.

[2] Hunt, Christopher O., Schembri, Patrick J., Quaternary Environments and Biogeography of the Maltese Islands, page 31, access in 13/03/2016

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