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Oct 8, 2024 · Hippos, however, eat relatively little vegetation for their size (about 35 kg [80 pounds] per night), as their energy requirement is low because they are buoyed in warm water much of the time. Hippos do not chew cud but retain food for a long time in the stomach, where protein is extracted by fermentation.
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (/ ˌ h ɪ p ə ˈ p ɒ t ə m ə s /; pl.: hippopotamuses; also shortened to hippo (pl.: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa.
- 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.
Dec 13, 2019 · Hippos don't use their incisors to eat; they pluck plant parts with their lips and chew on them with their molars. A hippo can chomp down on branches and leaves with a force of about 2,000 pounds per square inch, enough to cleave a luckless tourist in half (which occasionally happens during unsupervised safaris).
- Bob Strauss
Although hippos have very sharp teeth and are very large animals, they are in fact herbivores which means they do not eat meat, only plants. Hippos may stay in the waters all day, however, at night they come out of the lakes, swamps and ponds and head for the grass to graze.
Mar 10, 2011 · They might not look aerodynamic, but hippos can reach speeds of up to 22 miles per hour on land over short distances. Hippos have impressive teeth inside their huge mouths.
Learn more about hippopotamus, 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.