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Would soon burn
- Hippo skin is virtually hairless and would soon burn when exposed to intense sunlight if it was unprotected. The skin secretes an oily liquid that acts as sunscreen. The secretion is colorless, but after a few minutes, turns red.
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Hippo sunscreen is actually the thick sweat that hippos produce to protect their skin from the sun. Learn why red hippo sunscreen is such powerful stuff.
- Jennifer Horton
- Generally no, hippos are herbivores that eat up to 40 kilograms of grass per day. There are a few reported cases of cannibalism or hippos eating ot...
- Hippos are naturally aggressive and dangerous. These semi aquatic land mammals are known to cause more deaths than any other animal on the continen...
- The red or pink color of the hippo's sweat is due to the presence of two unstable and highly acidic compounds - hipposudoric acid, which is red, an...
- The mucus secretion on a hippo's body not only helps control their body temperature, but also acts as a potent sunscreen and antibiotic. The thick...
- Overview
- Sunscreen Gene
- No Sweat
Fish, hippopotamuses, and other animals produce chemicals that protect them from the sun's rays.
On a recent beach trip I forgot to wear sunscreen and was left literally burning with regret.
But many wild animals, from fish to hippos, don’t have to remember to hit the drugstore to be protected from the sun’s powerful rays. (See "Mystery Solved: Why We Sunburn.")
To find out more, Saturday’s Weird Animal Question of the Week is taking author's prerogative to ask "How do animals make their own sunscreen?"
A recent study in the journal eLife found that some fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles have the genes to produce gadusol, a compound that can act as a sunscreen.
"Gadusol absorbs UV radiation, particularly UVB [ultraviolet B], and dissipates it as heat," study leader Taifo Mahmud, a professor of medicinal chemistry at Oregon State University, says via email.
The gadusol produced by zebrafish, a highly studied lab species, may even help scientists create a better sunscreen for people. (Also see "Do Sunscreens' Tiny Particles Harm Ocean Life in Big Ways?")
By transferring the zebrafish genes into yeast in the lab, researchers were able to test gadusol’s activity as a sunscreen and show that it can be produced commercially.
So, can I just rub a zebrafish on my face next time I forget my sunscreen?
A bit impractical, says Mahmud, but cod and sea urchin eggs—popular sushi ingredients—can contain the radiation-absorbing chemical.
Other animals devise or produce their own brand of SPF.
Hippopotamuses produce "sweat" made of one red and one orange pigment. A 2004 study in Nature revealed that the red pigment contains an antibiotic, while the orange absorbs UV rays. So the two pigments work together to protect the African mammals from both bacterial infections and sun damage. It also explains the misconception that they sweat blood. (Read how whales avoid sunburn.)
Mantis shrimp have amino acid pigments called MAAs in their eyes that are known as "nature's sunscreen," reports a 2014 study in the journal Current Biology. However in mantis shrimp, the pigments play another role: They serve as powerful filters that contribute to the crustacean's incredibly sharp and complex vision. (Related: "Nature's Most Amazing Eyes Just Got a Bit Weirder.")
Likewise, in zebrafish, gadusol may play multiple roles, including “some functions required to accomplish embryonic development,” says study co-author Robert Tanguay, professor of molecular toxicology at Oregon State University. The team is investigating those other possible roles.
West African lungfish don't make sunscreen, but they know how to stay cool: They bundle themselves in a cocoon of mucus before burrowing themselves into the mud during the dry season.
Snug and protected, the fish then go into a period of estivation, a period of dormancy some animals go into during the hot months, like a summer version of hibernation. (Watch a video of the West African lungfish.)
Dec 6, 2023 · Hippo skin is virtually hairless and would soon burn when exposed to intense sunlight if it was unprotected. The skin secretes an oily liquid that acts as sunscreen. The secretion is colorless, but after a few minutes, turns red.
An oily secretion helps prevent sunburn; bathing in mud and water keeps temperatures down. Underwater theyhttp://'+location.host+''re surprisingly elegant. By closing their nostrils and...
Sep 1, 2004 · The researchers conclude that hippo sweat cools the body and protects against both infection and sunburn. Not bad for an ancient lumbering beast. Having unlocked the secrets of the multipurpose hippo flush, scientists may now focus their attention on discovering how the famous red-brown hue is maintained for hours after secretion.
- Fiona Gowland
- 2004
The formidable hippopotamus, often regarded as one of the most robust creatures in the animal kingdom, possesses a unique and intriguing attribute – a natural sunscreen, aptly nicknamed ‘blood sweat’ due to its distinct reddish-brown hue.
Jul 7, 2011 · Hippos excrete a pinkish liquid that wells up in droplets on their faces or behind their ears or necks. When analyzed, researchers discovered the liquid is made up of red and orange pigments that...
