After †Coryndon, 1978, Stuenes, 1989, McKenna & Bell, 1997 and Weston, 2000

<==o Hippopotamidae Gray, 1821 (hippos; virtahevot)
   |-- †Kenyapotamus Pickford, 1983 [Kenyapotaminae]
   `--o Hippopotaminae (nykyvirtahevot)
      |==o Hexaprotodon Falconer & Cautley, 1836 [Choeropsis] (kääpiövirtahevot) [paraphyletic grade of primitive hippopotamids]
      |  |?- †H. coryndoni Gèze, 1985
      |  |?- †H. mingoz
      |  |--+-- †H. lothagamensis Weston, 2000
      |  |  |-- †H. sp. aff. H. sahabiensis
      |  |  `-- †H. crusafonti
      |  `--+-- H. liberiensis (kääpiövirtahepo)
      |     `--+-- †H. harvardi Coryndon, 1977 [paraphyletic]
      |        |--+-- †H. iravaticus
      |        |  `-- †H. sahabiensis Gaziry, 1987
      |        `--+--+-- †H. bruneti Boisserie & White, 2004
      |           |  `--o †H. sivalensis Falconer & Cautley, 1836
      |           |     |-- †H. s. namadicus Falconer & Cautley, 1836
      |           |     `-- †H. s. palaeindicus Falconer & Cautley, 1836
      |           `--+-- †H. imagunculus (Hopwood, 1926) [Hippopotamus imagunculus Hopwood, 1926]
      |              `--+?- †Trilobophorus afarensis Gèze, 1985
      |                 |--+-- †H. protamphibius [H. shungurensis Gèze, 1985]
      |                 |  `-- †H. karumensis Coryndon, 1977
      |                 |--+-- †H. hipponensis
      |                 |  |-- †H. primaevus
      |                 `--+?- †H. kaisensis [Hippopotamus kaisensis]
      |                    `?- †H. madagascariensis [=? Hippopotamus madagascariensis] (madagaskarinkääpiövirtahepo)
      `--o Hippopotamus Linnaeus, 1758 [Hexaprotodon, Hippoleakius, Prochoeropsis, Tetraprotodon] (virtahevot)
         |-- †H. major
         |--+-- †H. aethiopicus Coryndon & Coppens, 1975 [Hexaprotodon aethiopicus (Coryndon & Coppens, 1975)]
         |  `-- †H. minutus [Phanourios; H. minor] (kyproksenkääpiövirtahepo; Cypros dwarf hippo)
         `--o H. amphibius -species-group
            |--+-- †H. lemerlei Grandidier, in Milne-Edwards, 1868 [H. leptorhynchus Grandidier & Filhol, 1894; H. amphibius standini Monnier & Lamberton, 1922] (madagaskarinmaakääpoövirtahepo)
            |  `-- †H. madagascariensis Guldberg, 1882 (madagaskarinkääpiövirtahepo)
            |-- †H. palaeindicus
            `--+-- H. amphibius Linnaeus, 1758 (virtahepo)
               `--+-- †H. gorgops (periskooppivirtahepo; periscope-eyed hippo)
                  `--+-- †H. antiquus (euroopanvirtahepo; european hippo)
                     |-- †H. creutzburgi (kreetankääpiövirtahepo; Crete dwarf hippo)
                     |-- †H. melitensis (maltankääpiövirtahepo; Maltan dwarf hippo)
                     `-- †H. pentlandi (sisiliankääpiövirtahepo; Sisilian dwarf hippo)

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