Kingdom : Animalia Class : Mammalia Family : Hippopotamidae Scientific Name : Hippopotamus amphibius Colour : Grey, Brown, Black, Pink Skin Type : Leather Size(L) : 2m - 5m (6.5ft - 16.5ft) Weight : 1tonne - 4.5tonnes (2,200lbs -9,900lbs) Top Speed : 45kph (30mph) Life Span : 40 - 50 years Distinctive Features : Ears, eyes and nostrils on top of the head Fun Fact : Has pink anti- bacterial sweat!
- The Hippopotamus is a large semi-aquatic animal found across the Sub-Saharan Africa.
- There are two species of Hippopotamus- the Common Hippopotamus and the Pygmy Hippopotamus.
- Surprisingly, they are very closely related to whales and are believed to have a common ancestor with them.
- They have a huge, grey barrel shaped body with short stocky legs with webbed toes
- They have huge jaws with two canine tusks which are used for fighting.
- They spend most of their time resting in water.
- Their eyes, ears and nostrils are situated on top of their heads enabling them to see, hear and breath while in water.
- They mostly inhabit the wetlands and land close to the grasslands where they graze at night.
- They move in herds of 10-20 individuals with a dominant male hippopotamus leading the herd.
- They are known to be aggressive and territorial animals.
- The female hippopotamus mates and gives birth to a calf, most of the times in water.
- The calves are fiercely protected by their mothers and often live with them for 7-8 years.
- They are herbivores mainly feeding on grass and grains.
- Interestingly, they do not use their tusks to eat, they use their thick lips to pluck and cheek teeth to grind.
- They do not sweat, so to protect them from sun and bacteria, they secrete a pink oily substance.
- They are known to run remarkably fast reaching top speed of 30mph, despite their enormous size.
- Their natural predators are Lions, Hyenas and crocodiles.
- Humans hunt them for their ivory tusks and that has made them a vulnerable species.