IJOG : Indonesian Journal on Geoscience
Vol. 13 No. 1 (2026)

The Characters of The Hippopotamidae from Java (Indonesia) Based on Skull and Tooth Analyses

Unggul Prasetyo Wibowo (Palaeontology and Quaternary Geology Research Group, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology // Bandung Geological Museum, Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources)
Yahdi Zaim (Palaeontology and Quaternary Geology Research Group, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology)
Aswan Aswan (Palaeontology and Quaternary Geology Research Group, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology)
Mika Rizki Puspaningrum (Palaeontology and Quaternary Geology Research Group, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology)



Article Info

Publish Date
14 Apr 2026

Abstract

Hippopotamidae are known to have lived in the island of Java based on the presence of their fossils. Several researchers have described and concluded that there are three species of Hippopotamidae in the island of Java, but there are also those who argue that the three types of Hippopotamidae are of the same species. These differences give rise to further discussion regarding what species lived in the island of Java in the past. Twenty Hippopotamidae fossil specimens including twelve specimens recently discovered, and previously undescribed specimens collected form stratigraphic context from Java were analyzed in this study and compared with previous literature. This study of Hippopotamidae fossils is based on skulls and teeth where the number of incisor teeth is one of the distinguishing characters which shows that all Hippopotamidae fossils in Java Island are from the genus Hexaprotodon. Our evidence shows that there are two types of Hexaprotodon in Java, namely the relatively small Hexaprotodon in The Gelasian-Calabrian-Chibanian Pleistocene, and a larger Hexaprotodon of Late Chibanian-Late Pleistocene age. Based on its anatomy, the small Hexaprotodon from Java is called Hexaprotodon sivajavanicus, while the large Hexaprotodon from Java is called Hexaprotodon megakendengensis

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Journal Info

Abbrev

IJOG

Publisher

Subject

Earth & Planetary Sciences

Description

The spirit to improve the journal to be more credible is increasing, and in 2012 it invited earth scientists in East and Southeast Asia as well as some western countries to join the journal for the editor positions in the Indonesia Journal of Geology. This is also to realize our present goal to ...