The Hippopotamus was originated if Africa. Travelers thought that the Hippo was a monster that lived in lakes, rivers, and streams. The Hippo was usually below the surface of the water, but it would sometimes pop up, tipping over boats. The Hippopotamus was called River Horse, because it made loud noises and scared the Travelers.
The distant relative to the hippo is the Pig. The closest relative that a hippopotamus has today is the pygmy hippo, which is somewhat smaller than the hippo we see today.
The hippo, some would agree, has behaviors that most active animals would find unusual. It is lazy when the sun is out. It normally swims, sleeps, and grooms. When it turns dark, however, the Hippopotamus ventures on land to find food. It will hunt for five hours, thenreturn to the water to, you guessed it, sleep!
The male hippo, called the Bull, is over 3,000 kilograms, or 6600 pounds! It measures about 4.5 meters, or Fifteen Feet long! The hippo is, however, anly 1.5 meters, or five feet, tall. The Female hippo, called a cow, is a bit smaller, but still huge for any animal!
The Hippo has four toes on each foot.
When the Hippo feels threatened, it heads for the water.
The Hippopotamus can run as fast as a human on land, and somewhat faster in the water!
The Hippo's wet toes make it an excellent swimmer.
The hippo can spend up to thirty minutes underwater at a time!
The Hippopotamus has very thick skin, but the outer layer, or eepidermis, is very thin. Because of this, the hippo spends most of it life in the water. This keeps it's skin from drying out in the daytime's sun.
Birds such as egrets and wagtails help the hippo by eating flies off it's skin. Underwater fish also eat the algae off the hippo's skin. The hippo also helps other animals by serving as a perch where birds can hide from their enemies. Crocs and turtles also like to bake in the sun from atop a hippo's back.
The small rounded ears of a hippo pick up a lot of sounds.
The hippo can hear well.
No one knows for sure how well a hippo sees!
The type of sound a hippo makes depends on how it feels.
A hippo can have 38 to 42 teeth, but a human being can only have 32 teeth.
Hippos live together in herds, or schools.
Hippos are peaceful animals. When in herds, hippos seldom fight.
The hippo is most often known for it's big, yawning, mouth. When hippos are sleepy, they yawn, but sometimes a hippo will signal for another male to back away.
When a female hippo is seven to five years old, she can mate and reproduce calves. The calf is born eight months after mating, which can happen any time of the year.
When a mother hippo is ready to have her baby, she searches alone for a safe spot. She may have her calf on land, or underwater. The baby hippo is about half a meter high, 1.5 feet, and about a meter, 3 feet, from tail to nose.
The baby hippo can walk, run, and swim just a few minutes after birth. A calf born in the water learns to swim before it learns to walk. The calf can drink milk underwater and on land from it's mother.
Because adult hippos have no enemies, but calves do, they have to be extremely careful the first year of it's life.
The hippo mother is alert, and that is good for protection. If a calf does not obey it's mother, it will be punished. The mother will hit the hippo with her tusks or head, or roll it over to show that it did something wrong.
When the calf obeys, she cuddles it closely and licks it with her tounge, to show love.
When a hippo grows larger, it plays with the herd.
These are just a few of the many amazing facts there are to know about a hippopotamus!
