A hippo could kill a single lion in a one-on-one clash because its huge mouth and powerful bite can easily crush the lion’s head and bones. But there is actually no evidence to suggest that this ever happens. This commonly stated “fact” is actually a debunked legend. It takes a female 22 months from conception to have a baby . It can, however, be removed with a zipper located underneath the torso of the animal. Although it is not common, bull hippos do attack and kill hippo calves. Hippos may look lazy and sluggish, but don’t be deceived. That’s how loud hippos are! 2) They are considered the second largest land animal on Earth (first place goes to the elephant! A tusk clash is somewhat similar to a pair of deer locking antlers. Here are the 3 Best (and Worst) Things, Thinking About Living in Switzerland? They easily get scared and when they are threatened on land, they run for refuge in the waters. 4. Baby hippos can weigh nearly 100 pounds or 45 kilograms at birth. Fact #3: Hippos are very shy and timid. Some adult males (called bulls) can weigh up to nearly three tons, but the average range is between 3,300 and 7,050 pounds (1,500 and 3,200 kg). Whoops! Females average weight is 1,400 kilograms (3,000 pounds); males weight from 1,600 to 4,500 kilograms (3,500 to 9,920 pounds). They may travel 10 kilometers (6 miles) in a night, along single-file pathways, to consume some 35 kilograms (80 pounds) of grass. In zoos, hippos are sometimes given whole watermelons, and they devour them, crushing them with their powerful mouths. Very large males can grow to 4,400-pounds with exceptional large ones reaching 5,800-pounds. After Pablo Escobar's death, the 4 Hippopotamuses he kept as pets have … Perhaps it is more accurate to say that rhinos and hippos are capable of killing each other. Hippos are known for giving birth to a well-developed calf, and this is happening every couple of years. There are countless videos of hippos spraying poop everywhere by mixing their runny poo with a rotating tail action. Learn more about me. Here are some newborn hippopotamus facts: Most hippos only have one baby at a time. Juvenile crocodiles sometimes fall victim to carnivores such as leopards, jaguars, otters, and pythons. The common hippo lives in habitats of water and grass such as lakes, rivers, and mangrove swamps. When they are ready to return to the surface, they kick their hind legs to push off from the bottom and propel themselves upward. They nurse their mothers underwater and on land. Among the more interesting hippo facts is that hippos don’t drown because they close their ears and nostrils while underwater. By changing up the ecosystem like this, hippos construct shelter and habitats for smaller creatures. If you ever hear a hippo making a deep laughing sound, it is not a funny situation because this means the hippo is sounding off a warning. And hippos are the most dangerous large mammal worldwide, killing an estimated 500 people per year in Africa. It is even tougher than elephants. Hundreds of hippos are shot each year to minimize human-wildlife conflict, despite the fact that ditches or low fences easily deter them. Experts believe hippos that eat meat are nutrient-deficient, sick or distressed. They walk or stand on surfaces below the water like sandbanks. However, a hippo would have a hard time defending itself against a pack of lions. The name comes from the ancient Greek for “river horse” (ἱπποπόταμος). There is an ongoing debate about who would win in a rhino-versus-hippo battle. Hippos can’t swim or float! As if that’s not enough reason to fear, hippos live in large groups, and no crocodile is going to risk being mobbed. A hippo needs plenty of water to accommodate its large size, but it usually doesn’t like water that is too deep or too shallow. Male Hippos are larger than the females. Fascinating facts about the hippo. For 18 months, the baby nurses while its mother is on land, or it swims underwater to suckle. At birth, hippo calves can weigh between 55 and 100 pounds (23 and 45.35 kg). For years this fluid was thought to be a mixture of blood and sweat, giving it the nickname “blood sweat.”. If they are in deep water, they will resurface whenever they need to breathe without waking. The school will remain in the water and mud throughout the day to keep cool. Here are some more amazing hippo facts for you: Surfacing and breathing are automatic for hippos. A hippopotamus has a barrel-shaped body, a big head with a long muzzle, short legs and a short tail. Their fat and ivory tusks are also valuable to humans. A hippo can hold its breath underwater for 19 days. Hippos, on occasion, do not mind eating a gaping antelope or even a crocodile. This is real and it appears to be a male dominance thing – where they are both impressing females and marking their territory. A male hippopotamus is called a ‘bull’. No, hippos are not endangered, but they are declared vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Why do male hippos attack baby hippos? They spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes to keep their massive bodies cool under the hot African sun. At sundown, they come out of the water and munch on grass. As long as the water is deep enough to reach its head, life is good for the hippo. Hippos live exclusively in fresh water and are absolutely not adapted for living in salt water. I'm a traveler and photographer. Because they are up most of the night foraging for food, they spend a majority of the daytime in the water which is when they sleep. Female hippos have a gestation period of eight months and have only one baby at a time, according to the San Diego Zoo. As we talking about semantics, a baby hippo is a calf, a male is a bull and a female a caw. Hippos can live up to 120 years in the wild; up to 836 in captivity. A human with a gun can kill a hippo, and a pack of lions can take down a hippo with hard teamwork. A common hippo can grow up to a little over 5 feet (1.52 m) tall at the shoulder and between 10 and 16 feet (3 and 5 m)long. And not only can adult hippos not swim, but they aren’t even buoyant. Here are 17 Interesting Hippopotamus facts. At birth the calf weighs between 23 to 50 … 7 surprising facts about hippos that you probably didn’t know. Most people know that hippos are large, live in water, wallow in mud and eat a whole lot. They stay in the water with their mother for the first several days until they gain strength. They can even do it in their sleep without even needing to wake up. The average Hippo has a head and body length of 3 to 4 feet and weighs close to 300 tons. They have thick, mostly hairless skin. Hippos are large and powerful, and despite being herbivores, are armed with long, lethal teeth that are designed for battle. Once upon a time, hippos roamed as far as Asia and Europe. 42. 23. Keep reading for more hippopotamus facts and we'll tell you the reasons. I have seen a hippo kill a large crocodile with a single bite, and a human would offer little to no resistance if a hippo was to become aggressive. They love the water and can spend up to 16 hours a day in it, keeping their skin cool. How long can a hippo hold it's breath underwater? Their digestive systems are not suited for digesting meat. The population is in decline; declining most dramatically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hippos are one of the noisiest animals in Africa: some hippo vocalizations have been measured at 115 decibels, about the same volume as being 5 meters (16 feet) away from the speakers at a rock concert! Over the centuries, native African tribes have traditionally eaten hippos, but few animals are ever willing to take on a hippopotamus for supper. They just want you to think that! A group of hippos is called by many different terms by various people. Usually they are found in mixed groups of about 15 individuals, but in periods of drought large numbers are forced to congregate near limited pools of water. Some hippos may have up to 40 teeth because they can retain their milk teeth for several years after reaching adulthood. This allows the hippo to keep its face above water while the rest of its body is submerged. 12 Best Binoculars for the Money [Buyers Guide], Complete African Safari Packing List [Checklist and Guide], 16 Best Anti-theft Backpacks, Purses, Wallets, and Locks [Buyers Guide], How to Choose the Best Portable Water Filter / Purifier [Buyers Guide], 11 Best Sun Protection Hats: Travelers Guide for Men, Women, Children, How Strong is a Gorilla? They also grunt, groan, and wheeze loudly. Occasionally lions, hyenas, and crocodiles will prey on young hippo.The adult hippo’s only real enemy (other than man) is his pool mate.They bite, maim, and kill each other.The bulls fight over females in breeding season and quarrel over water space at all times, especially in dry season. Some people say the rhino would triumph because of its larger size, vicious horn, and faster speed. They can charge without a moment's hesitation and do serious damage. They are 3.3 to 5 meters (10.8 to 16.5 feet) long and up to 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) tall at shoulders. Modern-day hippos can only be … Their canine teeth can reach 20 inches long (50 cm) so you wouldn't want to get bitten by one! Female adults, on the other hand, usually weigh a couple hundred pounds less than the males, and they stop growing around the age of 25 (even though they share the same lifespan as males). Yes, hippos do roar. Even though hippos live in the water with fish, they don’t eat fish. Their heads and tails do have thick, bristly hair. When they are out of depth, the hippos will move by jumping in small bounds away from the bottom. Although the hippo spends a most of its time in water, the hippos are not good at swimming. 1-5 Hippopotamus Facts 1. Their canine teeth are somewhat tusk-like. You could say that hippos love hanging out with their bloats. 21 Kenyan Food and Drinks to Try (Dishes, Drinks, Desserts in Kenya), 24 Haitian Food and Drinks to Try: Guide to Cuisine in Haiti, 33 Peruvian Foods: Traditional Food in Peru (Dishes, Drinks, Desserts), 28 Banana Facts: Weird & Tasty Guide to Fruit, Plant, Nutrition, and History, 22 Nicaraguan Foods to Try: Dishes, Drinks, Desserts in Nicaragua, 12 Rwandan Foods to Try: Traditional Rwanda Dishes, Desserts, Drinks, 5 Types of Banana Spiders (From Harmless to Venomous), What Do Kangaroos Eat? Many of these herds contain females, but bachelor hippos are allowed inside the community as long as they know to respect the bull hippo and not flirt with any of the females. Plus tons of photos and videos. Hippos are highly aggressive and unpredictable, especially when their calves are present, which is why they are considered so dangerous. Like almost any herbivore, they consume other plants if presented with them, but their diet in nature consists almost entirely of grass, with only minimal consumption of aquatic plants. Hippo males especially use their canines for fighting. It’s not known exactly how many hours hippos sleep per day. Hippos sink to the bottom of the water and then move by walking, trotting, jogging or running. Required fields are marked *. Interesting facts about African bush elephants. With their eyes, ears, and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see, and breathe while most of their body is underwater. To make up for their lack of hair, their hides are exceptionally thick. This amazing animal lives on the expanses of Africa and leads a semi-aqueous life. According to the San Diego Zoo, their vocalizations have been measured at 115 decibels. When you use our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Quick Facts. Hippos lack scent and sweat glands. Five Facts about the Hippopotamus You've Never Heard of Before 1. 5. They Are Not Big Eaters. Becuase of their humungous size, one would be forgiven for thinking hippos eat a lot, but this is actually not true. Here are a couple other hippopotamus facts about their teeth that you may find interesting: How's your Swahili? Hippos love eating watermelons. Where do common hippos live in Africa? Twins are rare. Although the hippopotamus is only half as small as an elephant, it only needs one-sixth of what the elephant eats to eat. The IUCN classified the Hippo as having vulnerable status in 2008. If you see a hippo yawning, you may think it’s cute, but in reality, a hippo yawn is a warning signal. 4) The Sri Lankan Elephant is the largest of the Asian subspecies, measuring 6.6 to 11.5 feet tall and weighing 4,400 and 12,100 pounds. #3 Hippos are herbivores which means they only eat plant life. 10. Sort of. But hippos are not related to horses at all—in fact, their closest living relatives may be pigs or whales and dolphins! Want to know why? Hippos can run up to 20 miles per hour and are responsible for quite a few deaths in Africa. They like shallow waters areas where can enjoy the rest and wallowing on the sandbars. 11. 50. But apart from those things, is there anything particularly interesting about these whopping African mammals? 9 Types of Tigers: Guide to All Subspecies (Size, Population, Illegal Trade), 19 Facts About African Oxpecker Birds (Both Species of Buphagus), 21 King Cheetah Facts (King Cheetah vs Cheetah) Fur, Photos, Speed, How to Choose the Best Camera for Safari [Buyers Guide], Going on a Safari? Why do hippos become poop sprinklers? That’s probably one of the most surprising hippopotamus facts of all. Watch two hippo bulls clash in this video: Yes, hippos do contain ivory. They need to resurface every 3 to 5 minutes to breathe. Adult male hippos can weigh about 3,300-pounds with females reaching 2,800-pounds. Adult hippos can stay underwater for up to five minutes at a time. (23 to 50 kg). She is comfortable giving birth in water or on land.If the baby is born underwater, the mother needs to push it to the surface to breathe. A clear membrane covers and protects their eyes while allowing them to see underwater. 25 Fun facts about Hippos. Their natural environment though is at risk due to them being killed for sport, for meat, and for the ivory of their teeth. If they are in shallow water, they will rest with their nostrils protruding just above the surface. They then spend the next 8 months nursing the calf. Hippopotamuses (or hippos), may look like cute, comical giants, but they are among the world’s most dangerous animals. Some people say a rhino can kill a hippo, but there is much debate about that. Their tusks are twice as long in males, an example of sexual dimorphism. No matter how small or large a group, all hippo herds are led by a single, dominant bull. At birth, the calf weighs between 50 and 110 lbs. Entertaining, but be sure to keep your distance. An adult hippo eats 50-60 kg of food per day. The gestation period for a female hippo is eight months. Hippos have a natural built-in reflex that causes them to reach for the surface to breathe. From where they live to why their mouths are so big, here are 57 hippo facts. On land, they can outrun a human. 57. So, you won't be able to outswim them! If a hungry crocodile dares to go after a young, less dangerous hippo, the calf’s mother and all her sisters will come after the crocodile. Hippos are almost completely hairless except for a few whiskers around their mouths and a tuft of hair on their tails. They also find their natural habitat being taken away for … Hippos eat on land and poop in the water, providing nutrients to aquatic life. Where can I see hippos in Uganda? Babies, which are born in the same conditions, are weighing around 50 kg and measure around 127 cm in length. When the female nears the time to give birth, she leaves the herd for one or two weeks to give birth to her young and create a bond with her baby. Of course, hippos have teeth. Hippos use these enlarged teeth for fighting. The way they look at it is, the bigger the mouth, the better husband and father. However they evolved from them some good 50 years ago. More reading: How fast can a crocodile run? They can kill people, but usually fight amongst themselves. A group of hippos is sometimes called a bloat, pod, or siege. They also have a membrane that closes over their eyes underwater. Hippos are endangered mainly because poachers hunt them for their meat and the ivory in their teeth. Would you believe a hippopotamus cannot swim? A female hippopotamus is called a ‘cow’. Hippos can store two days’ worth of grass in their stomachs and can go up to three weeks without eating. Their canine teeth, which can grow up to 50 cm (1 ft 8 in) long, are ivory. They weigh 1.5 to 4 tons. 34. They are born underwater but must paddle to the surface to take their first breath. 5 Interesting Hippopotamus Facts. In fact, they have 36 teeth that include one canine, two incisors, three premolars, and three molars on each side of their jaws. 9. Storyteller.travel shares the best travel insights, facts, and photos. In fact, studies suggest that Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in Asia.. They are highly territorial and can attack anything that wanders into their territory, whether that be human or animal. Hippos play an important role in the African ecosystem. Turtles and even baby crocodiles have been seen sunning themselves on hippos. The American hunter and author, Peter Hathaway Capstick, describes it like this: “It is my personal opinion that hippo meat is one of the finest of game foods … The taste is mild, less than lamb and more than beef, slightly more marbled than usual venison. A hippopotamus is commonly just called a hippo. Their skin is harder than any other animal. In African rivers, hippos look like floating islands, with birds fishing from their backs. Hippos make a great deal of noise. They are enormous creatures that can crush you in a heartbeat or drown you by overturning your boat. They have huge mouths with super sharp teeth and tusks and have been known to take down large animals such as buffalo, impala, and kudu. They can only hold their breath for about 40 seconds at a time. Except these guys can weigh up to 3 tons each. Another of several astonishing hippo facts is that these beasts can chomp down with a brutal force of about 2,000 pounds per square inch. Its weight sometimes reaches 4 tons. 14. The best places to see hippos in Uganda are these four national parks: Watch this traveler video of a boat ride in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Do hippos roar? ). Check out our guide to 100+ animal names in Swahili. The hippo is one of the largest land animals on our planet. They are also hunted and killed for their meat and ivory tusks and teeth which sell for big bucks on the black market. Others claim the hippo has more advantages that include its enormous mouth that can dole out lethal damage. When it dives, the calf closes its nose and ears to block out water. Quick Interesting facts about hippsos. Hippopotamuses are the 3rd largest land mammal, after elephants and rhinos. With their eyes, ears, and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see, and breathe while most of their body is underwater. Hippos just may be the most dangerous land mammals in the world. A clear membrane covers and protects their eyes while allowing them to see underwater. Hippos are estimated to kill about 500 people per year in Africa. The hippo can see better since rhinos have poor eyesight, and a bull hippo has much more experience fighting from defending his harem opposed the rhino who lives a solitary life. A male Hippo is called a Bull and female Hippo is called a cow. (However, calves are buoyant). 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