Unlike common hippos that live in groups and spend their days in rivers, pygmy hippos are mostly solitary and nocturnal - they prefer to wander alone through the forest at night, looking for roots, grasses, fallen fruit, and ferns to eat. During the day they rest in dense vegetation beside streams.
Their skin secretes a natural pink oily substance that acts like a sunscreen and moisturiser. Scientists once thought pygmy hippos were sweating blood because of the pinkish colour, but it is actually this clever natural skin cream that keeps them cool and protected from the sun.
Pygmy hippos are very rare. Fewer than 3,000 are thought to remain in the wild, mostly in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. Their forest habitat must be protected if they are to survive. Taï National Park is one of the most important places in the world for their future.