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If hippopotamuses can't swim, how can some be living on islands?

Date:
September 15, 2014
Source:
Wiley
Summary:
There is no published account where hippopotamuses are demonstrably shown swimming or floating at the surface of any body of water. But if they can't swim, how did they reach and colonize islands?
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There is no published account where hippopotamuses are demonstrably shown swimming or floating at the surface of any body of water. But if they can't swim, how did they reach and colonize islands?

Experts say that widely accepted models for the methods, patterns, and timing of the colonization and dispersal to several islands (e.g. Cyprus, Crete, and Madagascar) may need to be reconsidered.

"Although land bridge connections between these islands and the mainland are not currently supported by positive geological evidence, neither is there any contradictory evidence to exclude it," said Dr. Paul Mazza, author of a Lethaia article on the topic.


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Journal Reference:

  1. Paul P. A. Mazza. If hippopotamuses cannot swim, how did they colonize islands? Lethaia, 2014; DOI: 10.1111/let.12074

Cite This Page:

Wiley. "If hippopotamuses can't swim, how can some be living on islands?." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 September 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915120757.htm>.
Wiley. (2014, September 15). If hippopotamuses can't swim, how can some be living on islands?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915120757.htm
Wiley. "If hippopotamuses can't swim, how can some be living on islands?." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915120757.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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