The word hippopotamus comes from the Greek word for "water horse" or "river horse." However, hippos and horses are not closely related. The closest living relatives to hippos are pigs, whales and dolphins, according to the San Diego Zoo. Hippos' eyes and nostrils are on top of their head. This allows them to breath and look around while the rest of their body is submerged. Hippos are massive mammals, with a big bodies, short legs, a short tail and an enormous head!
They have greyish to muddy-brown skin, which fades to a pale pink colour underneath wallowing in the rivers and lakes across sub-Saharan Africa. Considered to be the 2nd largest land dweller on Earth. Males grow at around 3.5m long and 1.5m tall, and can weigh up 3.5 Tons. The grayish body has very thick skin which is virtually hairless. The hippo has neither sweat nor sebaceous glands, relying on water or mud to keep cool. The hippo's flat, paddle-like tail is used to spread excrement, which marks territory borders and indicates status of an individual. To stay cool in the blistering African heat, hippos spend most of their day in rivers and lakes. Their eyes, nose and ears are located on the top of their head, which means they can see and breathe whilst submerged in the water add to that these super-cool creatures produce an oily red liquid which helps protect their skin from drying out.
These magnificent mammals were once found throughout all sub-saharan Africa. Sadly, populations have declined due to habitat loss and hunting. Today, they are largely confined to protected areas in East African countries. Hippos are nocturnal and that's the time when they forage for food. They are herbivores, and eat mostly grass – and boy do they eat grass! In just one night, they can guzzle down up to 35kg of their favourite grub! Despite their enormous size, hippos are great swimmers and can hold their breath for up to five minutes underwater. When completely submerged, their ears and nostrils fold shut to keep water out.
Hippos can’t swim or float! They walk or stand on surfaces below the water like sandbanks. Even so, they spend most of the day in water to protect their sensitive skin from the sun. They secrete an oily red substance that acts as a moisturizer, sunblock and protects them from germs. This also makes them look like they are sweating blood. Although hippos can hold their breath for approximately seven minutes, most adult hippos resurface every three to five minutes to breathe. This is an automatic process – even sleeping hippo surface to breathe without waking talk about sleep walking.
In the wild hippos live for around 40 years. In captivity, they tend to live longer and may reach up to 50 years old. Life expectancy for a hippo is 36 years, but that's only if a baby hippo survives the crocodiles, hyenas, and other predators in the African wilderness, as well as disease, drought, and other life challenges.Hippos are social creatures and live in groups ranging from a dozen to several hundred animals. There are several females and males in a group, but only one dominant male that mates with the females. Hippo babies gestate, or develop in the womb, for almost the same amount of time as a human baby, but when born will be about 10 times the size!
