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15 Facts About Hippos

Known as one of nature’s most powerful creatures, hippos are large and round animals that are mostly found in Africa. The mud-loving animals are mostly found in lakes and thus are one of the touristic features that people go to see when they visit the lakes. Therefore, this article will provide the reader with some 15 facts about this animal that is native to Africa. The article will be a good source of knowledge for people who have not seen the animal as they will get a lot of insight into what it really is.

1 Hippos are among the largest animals on the planet

The animal is high on the list as one of the biggest animals on the planet together with rhinoceros and elephants. A hippo that has just been born usually weighs about 60 pounds and they quickly gain weight from then. Within three years, the hippo will have reached full maturity. When mature, a female hippo weighs about 3,000 pounds while a male hippo weighs about 7,000 pounds. This is an astounding weight and thus explains why it is one of the biggest animals on the planet.

2 Baby hippos can suckle while underwater

Just like humans, hippos nurse their young and during the first year after they are born, the baby hippos get sustenance from their mothers. Therefore, during this period one would often see the hippo calves close to their mother as they rely on them for food. The hippos are able to suckle on their mother while on land and also underwater. This is really interesting. Their ability to nurse while underwater is because their eyes and nostrils close up while underwater to prevent them from ingesting water. They are able to hold the position for several minutes.

3 Hippo cannot swim

Even though hippos spend their whole lives in water, the creatures cannot swim which is quite surprising as one would expect an animal that calls water bodies home to have adapted to that particular environment and therefore knows how to swim. When one sees the hippos in the water, they would think that they are swimming but in actuality, they are standing on their tippy toes and wadding through the water. The main reason why hippos spend the majority of their time in the water is to protect their sensitive skin from the sun.

4 Hippos produce their own sunscreen

You might have observed what appears to be blood trickling from the skin of a hippo as it was sunbathing. Yet, there is no need to panic; this oily, bright red liquid is actually an integrated “Hippo Sunblock.” It is a powerful moisturizer and germ-killer in addition to offering much-needed protection from the sun’s rays.

5 Hippos are herbivorous

Unlike other water creatures like a crocodile who are carnivorous and prey on other animals, hippos are herbivorous. This means that they get their sustenance from grasses and other vegetation. They eat a lot of grass in that in one night a hippo can take about 35 kilograms of grass. Furthermore, they go and look for food at night as the sun is harsh on their sensitive skin during the day.

6 Hippos do not breathe while underwater

Hippos spend most of their time underwater but they come up every three to five minutes to take a breath as they do not breathe while underwater. Even when they are asleep they still come up and this means that the process of coming up to breathe is an automatic one and it is not tied to whether the hippo is awake or not.

7 Hippos mate while in water

Hippos mate in the water and this ritual happens every two years. To let the male hippos know that they are ready to mate, female hippos use body language, urine and vocalizations. When the male hippos get the message, they have to travel and compete with other hippos for the chance to mate the female. Therefore, this means that the strongest hippos will be the ones to mate with the female and this mating usually happens when they are in the water.

8 The gestation period for hippos is 8 months

Just like human beings have a quite long gestational period in that they are pregnant for eight months. This is quite a long time as the only other sea mammal that is pregnant for a long time is a sperm whale which takes 500 days before it conceives. The hippos have one baby with each pregnancy and after they give birth, the baby stays at the mother’s side for close to a year as they nurse and after that, they move on to feed on grass.

9 Hippos are loud

The animals are very vocal creatures and one would often hear them vocalizing a series of noises. The noises are a way that they communicate with each other as they are distinct and are often described as squeaks, honks, growls and whines. While they are on land, the sounds that hippos make can be heard from a mile away. Interestingly, they also vocalize while they are underwater. However, the meaning of the different sounds that they emit is not understood but it is assumed that it is a way of warning other hippos when danger is approaching.

10 They are polygamous

Hippos are not reported to have lifelong partners; instead, a male may mate up to ten times throughout his lifetime. For younger guys, finding a female to procreate with might be difficult because the dominant male hippo or bull controls the rest of the group. For the purpose of ensuring progeny, a male will typically mate with multiple females in a single season. All of the calves will remain in his territory once they are born so that he can keep an eye out for predators and other male competitors.

11 Hippos are aggressive animals

Hippos are very protective of their territories and to ensure that other hippos keep off their territory, they use their dung to mark an area and signify that it is already occupied. When they sense danger or someone encroaches on their territory, they become very aggressive and are even considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. The number of human deaths in a hippo encounter is higher than those in a lion encounter which is quite shocking.

12 They are critical in the conservation of the environment

This may seem shocking that hippos play a big role in the conservation of the environment when they eat a lot of vegetation. But this fact is quite right in that the dung excreted by the hippo is filled with a lot of nutrients which are important for the growth of organisms. Furthermore, hippos feed on vegetation surrounding the wetlands and in doing so clear up the large vegetation and this ensures that the ecosystem can support all its components.

13 When hippos open their mouth, they are giving a warning

When you see a hippo yawning, it is not because they are hungry but because they are giving a warning and to instil fear, they open their mouths to show its long teeth and scare the animal from approaching what it considers to be its territory. They will also grunt and honk to communicate that you are in their territory.

14 The species of hippos

There are only two species of hippos. One of them is called the pygmy hippo and the other one is known as the common hippopotamus. These species are found in Africa. Europe was home to several other species of hippos but they have since gone extinct and now there are only two species of hippos in the world.

15 They are at risk of extinction

The International Union for Conservation of Nature concluded that hippos are at risk of becoming extinct. This is because the animals are usually poached by human beings for their fat, meat and ivory teeth. Another factor as to why they are vulnerable to extinction is because they are slow to reproduce which means that their population does not increase as fast as they die. There is also human hippo conflict which contributes to their reduction.