Madagascan Dwarf Hippopotamus
The Madagascan Dwarf Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus lemerlei) is extinct now. They bear a thin skin (just like their mainland counterparts) and the speed of water loss via the skin (dry air) is much, much greater than that of the rest of the mammals in the world. The Madagascan Dwarf Hippopotamuses have to be in water most of the time if the location is humid. Otherwise, they would simply get dehydrated.A Madagascan Dwarf Hippopotamus had stubby legs, and as it ages, these legs would be less and less capable of supporting its great weight. So, when these hippopotamuses reach a very advanced age, the water's buoyancy is crucial in lifting themselves up.
Actually, fossils were unearthed until about 1000 AD, but verbal traditions in Madagascar persist. These talks describe a creature very much like a hippo, insinuating that this animal lived on in more recent times, or that there may still be one or two who is still alive. (Who can actually say with certainty, one way or the other?)
If you are very curious about the Madagascan Dwarf Hippopotamus of Madagascar, they have a display (skeleton, lest you think it is the last of the "Mohicans") of it in Oslo (Paleontologisk Museum)
INTERESTING FACT: did you know: that the word "Hippopotamus" means river horse in Greek?
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