Hippopotamus melitensis
| Hippopotamus melitensis Temporal range: Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Hippopotamidae |
| Subfamily: | Hippopotaminae |
| Genus: | Hippopotamus |
| Species: | †H. melitensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hippopotamus melitensis Major, 1902[1] | |
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 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
Hippopotamus Amphibius Linn at Għar Dalam
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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