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Natural sunscreen and fights germs
- Hippos produce a red, oily substance from glands in their skin that acts as a natural sunscreen and fights germs. This amazing fluid is often called “blood sweat,” but it’s not really blood or sweat at all. It’s a unique secretion that helps protect hippos’ sensitive skin when they’re out of the water.
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May 27, 2004 · Within a few minutes of perspiration, the colourless, viscous sweat of the hippopotamus gradually turns red, and then brown as the pigment polymerizes.
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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...
Hippopotamus skin boasts a fascinating secret, harboring a natural sunscreen component that not only shields the massive mammal from the scorching sun but also gives it a distinctive red hue. This intriguing phenomenon, often colloquially termed “blood sweat,” is a misleading moniker.
May 6, 2002 · It appears red when exposed to full sunlight, which led the first European discoverers in Africa to call it "blood sweat." Hippos mostly try to avoid direct sunlight by lying in water during the...
May 26, 2004 · It has told Nature magazine the oily secretion is made up of two unstable pigments - one red, the other orange. The red pigment also has antibacterial properties, which work to protect the...
Dec 6, 2023 · Skin Secretion and Sunscreen Red Sweat. 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.
Oct 20, 2023 · Their skin has a noticeable red coloration due to this chemical and the hipposudoric acid in their sweat. This explains why it seems like hippos are covered with blood. Hipposudoric acid in their perspiration may have antimicrobial effects in addition to shielding their skin from the sun.
