r/geography • u/aceraspire8920 • Oct 29 '24

What is the most interesting fact about Cyprus? Discussion

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733

u/alfius-togra Oct 29 '24

In the past it was populated by pigmy hippopotami which were likely hunted to extinction by the first human settlers to arrive from the Levant.

267

u/anormalgeek Oct 29 '24

They were deng tasty.

49

u/DefinitelyNotAliens Oct 29 '24

My archaeology professor one time was referencing them and called then slow, tasty little meat nuggets.

3

u/ShamefulWatching Oct 29 '24

Moo chew water bacon

1

u/shark_aziz Oct 30 '24

That's a good one.

1

u/EmperorSadrax Oct 29 '24

No mo jokes from u

63

u/Ardbeg66 Oct 29 '24

Moo Deng, true Cypriot!

1

u/FR0ZENBERG Oct 29 '24

Her name is a food dish (pork chop, I think) after all.

3

u/lminer123 Oct 29 '24

I think it translate directly to bouncy pork!

53

u/FarkCookies Oct 29 '24

Just imagine how nice that ham was.

11

u/workandplay007 Oct 29 '24

House hippos?

2

u/RianCoke Oct 29 '24

Was looking for this.

15

u/SageEel Oct 29 '24

Extinction? I thought Moo Deng was a pygmy hippo

35

u/vambileo Political Geography Oct 29 '24

I assume they mean extinction on Cyprus

20

u/hebrewimpeccable Oct 29 '24

Well yes, but it's a different type of hippo. The Cypriot hippos were dwarf versions of a common hippos ancestor - a similar species lived on Madagascar. Whereas the pygmy hippo is a different species entirely

7

u/biscuitsandburritos Oct 29 '24

So, island dwarfism verse Pygmy hippo?

9

u/hebrewimpeccable Oct 29 '24

Exactly that! There used to be many, many more species of hippo and they were far more widespread than they are now (until a hundred thousand years ago or so, there were hippos in the UK)

2

u/Makav3lli Oct 29 '24

So hippos will rule the world thanks to global warming that’s some good news

2

u/Flyingworld123 Oct 29 '24

Hippos are ruling Colombia thanks to Pablo Escobar.

7

u/ethanlan Oct 29 '24

Well she is but she definitely isnt a cyprot hippo

1

u/SageEel Oct 29 '24

Yeah good point, probably a different species with the same name

2

u/collegegraddan Oct 29 '24

Like.. house hippos?

1

u/yasseridreei Oct 31 '24

levantine people try not to eat weird shit challenge impossible (i’m syrian)