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What the sources say

Pygmy HippopotamusChoeropsis liberiensis

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Pygmy Hippopotamus profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 61 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Pygmy Hippopotamus. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page sayspink blood-sweat sunscreen
The source saysits skin oozes out a pink fluid that looks like beads of sweatNote: same paragraph: 'This fluid, called blood sweat, helps to protect a pygmy hippo's sensitive skin from sunburn.'
The page saysfound on the forest floor or in swamps
The source saysPygmy hippos search for food on the forest floor or in swamps
The page saysPygmy hippos measure 4.9 to 5.7 feet long and stand 30 to 39 inches tall, weighing 350 to 600 pounds
The source saysLength: 4.9 to 5.7 feet (1.5 to 1.75 meters)Note: same page also gives Height: 30 to 39 inches (75 to 100 centimeters) tall, and Weight: 350 to 600 pounds (160 to 270 kilograms), each under its own SIZE heading
The page saysa common river hippo weighs about 10 times as much
The source saysA common or river hippo weighs about 10 times as much as a pygmy hippo.
The page saysSan Diego Zoo gives females an average lifespan of 31 years, without saying whether in the wild or in zoos, and lists the male lifespan as unknown
The source says31 years on average for females, uknown for malesNote: the page's LIFE SPAN line gives no wild or captive scope, so the sentence attributes it and says so
The page saysit usually lives alone, though it is sometimes found in small family groups
The source saysPygmy hippopotamuses are usually solitary but can sometimes be found in small family groups.
The page saysIt is found only in the interior forests of West Africa, mainly in Liberia, with small numbers in neighboring Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast
The source saysfound only in the interior forests in parts of West Africa, mainly confined to Liberia, with small numbers in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and the Ivory Coast
The page saysSan Diego Zoo puts the wild population at possibly fewer than 2,500
The source sayspossibly less than 2,500 individuals remaining in their native habitat
The page saysIts forests are being cut down or burned, its rivers polluted, and in logged areas people hunt it for meat
The source saysThe forests that shelter them are being cut down or burned away, and the rivers where they swim are now polluted by people. In logged areas, people hunt them for their meat.
The page saysThey rest hidden in swamps, wallows or rivers through the heat of the day
The source saysresting while hidden in swamps, wallows, or rivers during the heat of the day until dark
The page saysleave the water to feed on land for a few hours in the cool of the night
The source sayswhen they leave the water to feed on land for a few hours in the cool of the night
The page saysthey can stand on their hind legs to reach food higher up in trees
The source sayscan stand on their hind legs to reach food higher up in trees if they need to
The page saysLeopards seem to be the only natural predator able to successfully attack them
The source saysLeopards seem to be the only natural predator able to successfully attack pygmy hippos.
The page saysPygmy hippos are shy and would rather flee than fight
The source sayspygmy hippos are shy and would prefer to flee rather than stay and fight
The page saysthin
The source saysThe top layer of a pygmy hippo's greenish-black skin is smooth and thin
The page saysNewborn calves weigh 7.5 to 14 pounds
The source saysWeight at birth: 7.5 to 14 pounds (3.4 to 6.4 kilograms)
The page saysreach maturity at 4 to 5 years
The source saysAge of maturity: 4 to 5 years
The page saysA pygmy hippo weighs 350 to 600 pounds
The source saysWeight: 350 to 600 pounds (160 to 270 kilograms)
The page saysThe pygmy is usually solitary
The source saysPygmy hippopotamuses are usually solitary
The page saysits head is rounder and narrower, with eyes that are not on top of it
The source saystheir heads are rounder and narrower, their necks are proportionally longer, and their eyes are not on top of their heads
The page saysSan Diego Zoo says there are possibly fewer than 2,500 left in the wild, in only four West African countries
The source saysKnown to live in only four countries in West Africa , pygmy hippos are now classified as Endangered, with possibly less than 2,500 individuals remaining in their native habitat
The page saysTheir forests are being cut down or burned, their rivers polluted, and in logged areas people hunt them for meat
The source saysThe forests that shelter them are being cut down or burned away, and the rivers where they swim are now polluted by people. In logged areas, people hunt them for their meat.
The page saysThe species is classified as Endangered.
The source sayspygmy hippos are now classified as Endangered
The page saysweightKg: 215
The source saysWeight: 350 to 600 pounds (160 to 270 kilograms)Note: 215 is the midpoint of the San Diego Zoo range; the whole range sits in the engine's Heavy class (100 to 999 kg), which the name guess missed because 'pygmy' blocks the hippo rule.

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Hexaprotodon liberiensis (pygmy hippopotamus). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysnever far from swamps, streams or rivers
The source saysHexaprotodon liberiensis is only found in low-lying, forested areas, never far from a source of water. Pygmy hippopotamuses use swamps, streams, and rivers as refuges
The page saysBroad-leaved plants, grasses, semi-aquatic plants, sedges, ferns and fallen fruit
The source saysherbs, broad-leaved plants, grasses, semi-aquatic plants, herbaceous shoots, forbs, sedges, ferns, and fallen fruit
The page saysA glossy "blood sweat" from glands in its skin that protects its thin, sensitive skin from the sun
The source saysLarge glands in the dermis produce a glossy, brownish-red secretion that is referred to as “blood sweat”. These secretions protect the sensitive skin from sun.Note: 'thin': SDZ 'The top layer of a pygmy hippo's greenish-black skin is smooth and thin'
The page sayswith more of it seen during hard exertion
The source saysthe production of the blood sweat has been observed to increase when intense physical exertion such as running or mating takes place
The page saysUnlike its social cousin
The source saysUnlike their social cousins, Hexaprotodon liberiensis is solitary.
The page saysPygmy hippos avoid open ground completely and do most of their travelling along worn, tunnel-like paths through dense vegetation
The source saysOpen areas are completely avoided and most travel is limited to worn-down, tunnel-like paths through dense vegetation on land.
The page saysTheir plant diet includes broad-leaved plants, grasses, semi-aquatic plants, sedges, ferns and fallen fruit
The source saysherbs, broad-leaved plants, grasses, semi-aquatic plants, herbaceous shoots, forbs, sedges, ferns, and fallen fruit
The page sayswhen startled, they flee a short distance into vegetation and hide
The source saysWhen startled, pygmy hippos flee a short distance into vegetation, where they hide.
The page saysBlood sweat comes from large glands in the dermis
The source saysLarge glands in the dermis produce a glossy, brownish-red secretion that is referred to as “blood sweat”.Note: the dermis gloss is a general definition
The page saysThis glossy, brownish-red secretion protects the pygmy hippo's thin, sensitive skin from the sun
The source saysThese secretions protect the sensitive skin from sun.Note: 'thin': SDZ 'The top layer of a pygmy hippo's greenish-black skin is smooth and thin'
The page saysmore of it has been seen during hard exertion such as running or mating
The source saysthe production of the blood sweat has been observed to increase when intense physical exertion such as running or mating takes place
The page saysIt may have evolved to replace sweat.
The source saysIt may be an adaptive replacement of sweatNote: paraphrase: 'adaptive replacement' as 'evolved to replace'
The page saysIt is a glossy, brownish-red secretion made by large glands in the dermis
The source saysLarge glands in the dermis produce a glossy, brownish-red secretion that is referred to as “blood sweat”.
The page saysIt protects the pygmy hippo's sensitive skin from the sun
The source saysThese secretions protect the sensitive skin from sun.
The page saysmore of it has been seen during hard exertion such as running or mating
The source sayshas been observed to increase when intense physical exertion such as running or mating takes place

Source
03

Flacke & Decher 2019

Flacke & Decher (2019). Choeropsis liberiensis (Artiodactyla: Hippopotamidae). Mammalian Species.

The page saysDwarf solitary forest hippo of the Upper Guinean swamps
The source saysA solitary, forest-dwelling ungulate endemic to the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem in West AfricaNote: 'Dwarf' is the common name's 'pygmy'; swamps: ADW 'Pygmy hippopotamuses use swamps, streams, and rivers as refuges'
The page saysLow-lying forests of West Africa's Upper Guinean forest zone
The source saysendemic to the Upper Guinean forest ecosystem in West AfricaNote: ADW: 'only found in low-lying, forested areas, never far from a source of water'
The page saysis the smaller of the two living hippo species
The source saysThe smaller of the two extant hippopotamids
The page saysthe only living species in its own genus
The source saysis the only extant species in the genus ChoeropsisNote: the genus gloss is a general definition

Source
04

Fisher, Scott & Naples 2007

Fisher, Scott & Naples (2007). Forelimb myology of the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). The Anatomical Record.

The page saysHippos walk along river and lake bottoms rather than swim, a 2007 study of pygmy hippo front legs points out
The source saysthese adaptations differ functionally from most aquatic mammals as hippos walk along river or lake bottoms, rather than swimNote: 2007 and 'front legs' (forelimb) are the paper's year and title
The page saysDissecting two animals from a Washington, D.C. zoo
The source saysTwo specimens from the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. were dissected
The page saysits authors found broad anchor points for the chest muscles and a long tendon to bend each toe, because every toe carries weight
The source saysmm. pectoralis superficialis and profundus demonstrate broad sites of origin, while the long flexor tendons serve each of the digits, reflecting the fact that all toes are weight-bearingNote: pectoralis = chest muscles, site of origin = anchor point, flexor = bending
The page saysTogether these give a strong system for pushing the body forward through water
The source saysSeveral findings highlight a robust mechanism for propelling the trunk forward through the water.
The page sayswalks along the bottom rather than swimming
The source saysthese adaptations differ functionally from most aquatic mammals as hippos walk along river or lake bottoms, rather than swim
The page sayswith every toe bearing weight
The source saysthe long flexor tendons serve each of the digits, reflecting the fact that all toes are weight-bearing

Source
05

Saragusty et al. 2012

Saragusty et al. (2012). Male pygmy hippopotamus influence offspring sex ratio. Nature Communications.

The page saysThe 2008 pygmy hippo studbook lists 1,089 captive births between 1919 and 2008
The source saysThe 2008 pygmy hippopotamus studbook lists 1,089 captive births between 1919 and 2008.Note: the studbook gloss is a general definition
The page saysof the 1,057 with a known sex, about 42% were male
The source saysThe sex ratio of all captive births of known sex was 0.4248 (449 males out of 1057 births)Note: 42% is 0.4248 rounded
The page saysA 2012 study of ten captive males
The source saysThese ten males constitute 10% of the entire world captive adult male population in this species.Note: 2012 is the paper's year
The page saysevery male made more sperm carrying an X chromosome, which produces daughters, than sperm carrying a Y
The source saysThe sex ratio of the sampled sperm was skewed towards an excess of X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in all individualsNote: 'which produces daughters' is general mammal biology; the paper: 'result in the production of an excess of female offspring'
The page saysThe researchers think females most probably add a similar tilt, though they could not rule out the males alone
The source saysmale and female interests most probably converged and that both male (0.4337) and female (0.4159) biases in sex allocation result in the production of an excess of female offspringNote: same paragraph: 'the possibility that the female is neutral to the outcome and the bias is by the males only cannot be ruled out'
The page saysand of the 1,057 with a known sex, about 42% were male
The source saysThe sex ratio of all captive births of known sex was 0.4248 (449 males out of 1057 births)Note: 42% is 0.4248 rounded
The page says2012 study of ten captive males found that every one made more sperm carrying an X chromosome
The source saysThe sex ratio of the sampled sperm was skewed towards an excess of X-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in all individualsNote: 2012 is the paper's year; N=10 per Methods: 'These ten males constitute 10% of the entire world captive adult male population'
The page saysdangerLevel: Medium
The source saysmale–male or male–female encounters often take an aggressive course and fighting may lead to severe injuries and deathNote: Capability, not frequency: the animal can do serious harm to its own kind, but SDZ says 'pygmy hippos are shy and would prefer to flee rather than stay and fight' and ADW records 'no known adverse effects' on humans, so not High.

Source
06

Houa et al. 2022

Houa et al. (2022). Animal reactivity to camera traps and its effects on abundance estimate using distance sampling in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. PeerJ.

The page saysIn Ivory Coast's Taï National Park
The source saysAnimal reactivity to camera traps and its effects on abundance estimate using distance sampling in the Taï National Park, Côte d'IvoireNote: the paper's title; the camera-trap gloss is a general definition
The page saysestimated pygmy hippos available for the cameras to detect 49% of each 24 hours
The source saysthe determined availability was 49% over a 24-hour period
The page saysthe gaps came from resting in the shallows and rivers
The source saysIt was not available for detection at all times because of resting in the shallows and rivers.

Source
07

Ransom, Robinson & Collen 2015

Ransom, Robinson & Collen (2015). Choeropsis liberiensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T10032A18567171.

The page saysrates it Endangered
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN).Note: the Red List gloss is a general definition

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.