🐾 Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

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Who it is

• Scientific name: Hippopotamus amphibius
• Family & relatives: Family Hippopotamidae; its closest living relatives are whales and dolphins.
• How to spot it: Enormous barrel-shaped body, huge head and mouth, short legs, and pinkish-gray skin.

Its body & abilities

• Size: About 3.3-5 m long and up to 1.5 m tall at the shoulder.
• Weight: Roughly 1,300-1,500 kg, with large males heavier still.
• Body & adaptations: Eyes, ears, and nostrils sit on top of the head so it can see and breathe while mostly submerged.
• Top speed: Can run up to about 30 km/h on land over short distances.
• Strength: Its bite is one of the strongest of any land animal, and its canine teeth can exceed 40 cm.
• Senses: Good hearing and smell; it can even hear both above and below water.
• Growing up: A single calf can nurse underwater and stays close to its mother for years.

Where it lives

• Habitat: Rivers, lakes, and wallows in sub-Saharan Africa, near grassy areas for grazing.
• Where in the world: Sub-Saharan Africa, in scattered populations across the region.
• Territory: Males defend stretches of water; the group shares communal daytime pools.

What it eats

• Diet: Herbivore that grazes on grass, drinking and cooling off in water by day.
• Favorite foods: Mostly short grasses, eating up to around 40 kg in a night.
• How it hunts: Leaves the water at dusk and follows well-worn paths to graze on land.

How it behaves

• How it moves: Walks or trots on land and moves in water by pushing off the bottom rather than swimming.
• When it is active: Mostly nocturnal for feeding, resting in water during the heat of the day.
• Family life: Lives in groups called pods, schools, or bloats, often 10-30 animals.
• How it talks: Loud grunts, bellows, and honks, plus dung-scattering to mark territory.
• Babies: After about 8 months of pregnancy, a female gives birth to one calf, often in water.

Its place in nature

• Role in nature: Its dung fertilizes rivers and feeds fish; adults have few predators besides lions, crocodiles, and humans.
• Conservation: Vulnerable (IUCN), threatened by habitat loss and poaching for meat and ivory teeth.
• Dangers: Poaching, drought, and territorial fights are major causes of death.

Life & legacy

• How long it lives: Around 40 years in the wild and up to about 50 in captivity.
• In our culture: Considered one of Africa's most dangerous animals and a familiar figure in myths and zoos.
• Where to see it: Rivers and lakes of parks like the Serengeti and Kruger, and major zoos.
• Fun fact: Hippos make their own natural sunscreen, a reddish oily sweat that protects their skin.