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[1] | |
Hippopotamus melitensis is an extinct hippopotamus that lived in Malta. It arrived after the Messinian salinity crisis [2] and lived during the Pleistocene on Malta. The absence of predators led to the dwarfing of the hippos. The majority of findings of this species are known from the 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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