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- Common Hippo: 2 to 5 meters in length (6 to 16.5 feet) and stand about 1.5 meters tall (5 feet); Pygmy Hippo: 1.5 to 1.75 meters in length (about 5 feet) and stand about 1 meter tall (3 feet) Life span Up to 50 years in the wild
www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/hippopotamus
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Lifespan in the Wild: In the wild, hippos typically have a lifespan of around 40 to 50 years. However, this can vary depending on factors such as predation, habitat quality, and access to resources like food and water.
- What Is A Hippo?
- Appearance
- Life in The Water
- Aggression and Dominance
- Reproduction
- Threats to Survival
Hippopotamuses are large, semiaquatic mammals native to sub-Saharan Africa. Although their name comes from the Greek for “river horse”—because of the time they spend in the water—their closest living relatives are whales, dolphins, and pigs. They can’t swim, breathe underwater, or even float—but they have developed a tactic that lets them nap under...
Hippos are the world’s third-largest land mammals after elephants and white rhinos. Males can reach lengths of 10.8 to 16.5 feet, and weigh up to 9,920 pounds, while females weigh up to 3,000 pounds. These muscular animals have round torsos and pinkish brown bodies with two-inch-thick, waterproof skin, and short, stout legs. They might not look aer...
Hippos live in waterways such as rivers, lakes, and mangroves. Their skin may be thick but it is extremely sensitive and can easily burn or dry out in the fierce African sun. So, they spend most of their day in the water or mud to keep cool, wet, and protect their delicate skin. When basking on the shore, they secrete an oily red sweat-like substan...
These social animals live in groups called herds or pods, which typically include around 40 individuals or as many 200. They are highly territorial, and use dung middens—an area where they repeatedly poop—to mark their territory and communicatewith other hippos. Males will use their tail to flick their dung in all directions as a display of dominan...
Females reach sexual maturity around the age of 10. Gestation lasts eight months, and they give birth to one calf every two years. Hippos mate and give birth in the water. Weighing nearly a hundred pounds at birth, newborn hippos can hold their breath for 90 seconds. Once mother and calf have bonded, they join schoolsof other hippos for protection ...
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies hippos as vulnerable to extinction. Although the hippopotamus doesn’t have many predators, it is threatened by poaching for its meat, fat, and ivory teeth. Other threats include the loss of its habitat and human-hippo conflicts. Because the species is slow to reproduce, threats can signi...
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In the wild, hippos typically live about 40 years. Conservation Status. Hippos are listed by IUCN’s Red List as vulnerable due to loss of habitat. Hippopotamus habitats are infringed upon by humans, who use their grazing land for farming and also divert water for farming needs.
Although hippos can’t breathe underwater, they can hold their breath for up to five minutes. Hippos exhibit strong social bonds and typically live in groups with anywhere from 40 to 200 hippos, known as bloats, pods, or herds. They are territorial creatures and use their dung to mark their territory.
- Rivers, lakes & mangrove swamps
- sub-Saharan Africa, Colombia
- 40-50 years
- 13-18 ft (4 to 5.5 m)
- Hippos are the deadliest large land animal on the planet. The Hippopotamus is one of the most dangerous animals in the world, killing an estimated 500 people a year in Africa.
- Hippos love the water! The hippopotamus is a semi-aquatic mammal. This means that even though they’re a mammal like humans, dogs, cats, and other similar species, they spend a majority of their life in the water.
- There’s only one wild herd famous outside of Africa… And it has its roots entangled with Pablo Escobar! During his time, Escobar ran a private zoo which featured hippopotamuses.
- The hippo is a victim of ivory poaching. When you think about poaching and ivory, you probably think about rhinos and elephants. However, the hippopotamus is also a victim of this crime, which is another reason aside from habitat loss that they’re endangered.
Learn more about hippopotamus or hippos as they are more commonly known, including how much they weight, how fast they can run on land and where to see in the wild – and stay safe from an attack.
Common Hippo: 2 to 5 meters in length (6 to 16.5 feet) and stand about 1.5 meters tall (5 feet); Pygmy Hippo: 1.5 to 1.75 meters in length (about 5 feet) and stand about 1 meter tall (3 feet)
