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Mar 10, 2011 · At sunset, they leave the water to graze, eating up to 110 pounds of grass each night. Aggression and dominance
- 2 min
May 7, 2024 · Constantly renewed at night as the bulls go to pasture and during the day when they emerge and defecate on the heaps; Middens may reach as high as the hippo's anus; Ritualized dung-showering occurs between males at the borders of their territories.
- Kate Jirik
- 2016
The surprisingly agile hippo climbs steep banks each night to graze on grass. They leave the water pool at night to graze for four to five hours, covering up to eight kilometers (five miles) of territory.
Hippos spend much of their time submerged in water to keep cool and avoid the sun’s heat, emerging at night to graze on grasses and other vegetation. Despite their seemingly sluggish appearance, hippos are surprisingly agile and can move quickly both on land and in water.
Serious grazing at night begins at around 5 months old. Calves stay close to their mothers for protection, not only from crocodiles and lions, but from male hippos who oddly enough do not bother with the calves on land but can attack young males in the water.
In the evening, after the hot sun has set, hippos come out of the water for a night of grazing—in fact, this goes on for about six hours! Despite their enormous weight, hippos eat an average of only 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of food a night.
Oct 11, 2016 · At dusk, as the day cools and the sun sets, the herd leaves the water and heads down well traveled paths where they branch off to graze. With several species of tender grasses making up the bulk of their diet, the hippo spends about 6 hours a night feeding.
