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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.
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- Size and Weight
- Appearance
- Diet
- Habitat
- Breeding
- Social Structure
- Threats
- Conservation Status
- Conservation Efforts
The hippo is one of the largest mammals on Earth. On average, males weigh 3,500 to 9,920 pounds and females weigh 3,000 pounds. On average, a hippo’s length is between 10.8 and 16.5 feet, and their height is up to 5.2 feet tall at the shoulder.
Hippos are known for their rotund bodies. While the name “hippopotamus” comes from a Greek word meaning “river horse,” hippos are not actually related to horses. Their closest living relatives may be pigs or whales and dolphins. Hippos spend most of their time in the water. Their unique skin needs to be wet for a large portion of the day. If a hipp...
Hippos typically feed on patches of short grass near water. However, at times, they need to travel several miles to find food. Their ears help them hear the sound of falling fruit, while their sense of smell helps them sniff out food. On average, hippos eat about 88 pounds of food each night, which is about 1 to 1.5% of their body weight. This figu...
Hippos are adapted for life in the water and are found living in slow-moving rivers and lakes in Africa.
The hippo breeding season is linked to the dry season. Therefore, most births happen during the wettest time of the year. The gestation period is just 8 months, only slightly shorter than the human gestation period. However, the hippo calf is about 10 times larger than a human baby. When the female nears the time to give birth, she leaves the herd ...
Hippos are social animals that spend most of their time in groups. They live in groups from 10 to 30 hippos, which includes several adult females, several adult males, their offspring and one dominant male. The dominant male has the right to mate with all the adult females in the herd. The dominant male reminds other hippos of his territory by flin...
Habitat loss and the illegal ivory trade are among the largest threats to hippos. While hippos are not yet classified as endangered, their numbers have decreased over the last 200 years as their habitat is reduced. As humans expand into hippo habitat, human-hippo conflicts have become more common. Hippos, especially dominant male hippos, are known ...
Hippos are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List. While hippos are not yet endangered, their habitat has been greatly reduced over the last 200 years.
While many “at-risk” African animals, such as elephants and cheetahs, have conservation organizations that focus on them, there is currently no organization focused on hippo conservation. The best effort to protect hippos is to continue to safeguard large areas of land. National parks offer the greatest amount of protection against poaching. Source...
Feb 18, 2022 · Hippos have a healthy and mostly herbivorous appetite. Adults eat about 80 lbs. (35 kg) of grass each night, traveling up to 6 miles (10 km) in a night to get their fill.
May 7, 2024 · Low metabolic rate allows survival for many weeks without food. Eat approximately 1-1.5 % of body weight per day. At least 2.5% of body weight for many other ungulates such as cattle, white rhinos. Adult hippo consumes 25-40 kg (55-88 lbs) vegetation/day.
- Kate Jirik
- 2016
Oct 8, 2024 · Because of their great size and aquatic habits, they are safe from most predators but human beings, who have long valued their hide, meat, and ivory and at times have resented them for ruining crops. Once ranging over the entire continent and beyond, hippopotamuses (or “hippos”) now live in eastern, central, and parts of southern Africa.
Mammals. Diet: Herbivore. Group Name: School. Average Life Span In The Wild: Up to 40 years. Average Life Span In Captivity: Up to 50 years. Size: Up to 16.5 feet long and 5.2 feet tall....
Adult hippos can consume up to 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of food per day or more. They graze for several hours in the evening and at night, making the most of the cool temperatures and the abundance of grasses during those times.
