Did you know that hippos cause more deaths to humans in Africa than any other large animal? This might come as a surprise, considering these hefty creatures often seem docile and slow-moving. However, there’s much more to these river giants than meets the eye. Get ready to learn some intriguing hippo facts that will leave you amazed!
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Hippopotamidae
Genus: Hippopotamus
1. Hippos Are One of the Largest Animals in the world
The common hippopotamus, also known as hippopotamus or hippo, is a big semi-aquatic mammal. It belongs to the family Hippopotamidae, which has only two surviving species. The other member is the pygmy hippopotamus which is much smaller.
After elephants and rhinoceroses, hippos rank as the third-largest land animals on Earth. The largest male ones can weigh up to 7,000 pounds (3175 kg) and measure up to 17 feet (5 m), which is roughly equivalent to the size of a UPS truck!
These huge creatures possess a sturdy body with thick skin that is pinkish-brown and waterproof. They have circular trunks along with short and stout legs. Despite their large look, these species can achieve running speeds of up to 22 miles per hour (35 kph) for short distances when on land.
Besides the names above, these species also go by different names among various indigenous tribes, including “mvuvu,” “timondo,” “kiboko,” and numerous other local variations.
2. There are 5 hippo species
Researchers have identified five distinct subspecies of the Hippopotamus amphibius. This corresponds to the locations of Africa where they reside:
– The East African hippopotamus (H. amphibius kiboko) is found in Kenya and Somalia.
– The West African or Chad hippo (H. amphibius tchadensis) is located in western Africa and Chad.
– The great northern hippopotamus or the Nile hippopotamus (H. amphibius amphibius) inhabits Mozambique and Tanzania.
– The South African hippo or the Cape hippo (H. amphibius capensis) ranges from Zambia to South Africa;
– The Angola hippo (H. amphibius constrictus) lives only in Namibia, Angola, and Congo.
If you see a baby hippo and take care of it, it may mean a significant event is taking place in your life that will demand much of your time. Seeing a group of hippos in your dream can indicate a need to take a break and escape your daily routine.
3. They are born to live in water
Hippos are aquatic creatures that inhabit slow-moving rivers and lakes throughout Africa. They possess many adaptations that enable them to thrive in their watery habitat.
Their unique head structure places their nostrils, ears, and eyes at the top of their head, which allows them to breathe, hear, and see while submerged in water. As we mentioned before, this characteristic is similar to that of the capybara.
Additionally, they possess a natural set of goggles (a transparent membrane), which shields their eyes while still letting them see underwater. These big animals can even sleep underwater by using a reflex that enables them to rise to the surface, take a breath, and then return to the depths without awakening.
However, what is so funny is that these creatures cannot swim or breathe underwater. Because of their dense bodies, they cannot float either. To move in the water, they push off from the river bottom or walk along it in a slow-motion gallop. They softly touch the riverbed with their webbed toes, much like a dancer. They can move at the speed of about 8kmph.
Despite their lack of swimming skills, these animals compensate with their impressive ability to hold their breath underwater for over five minutes. This is made possible by a thick membrane that covers their eyes and their ability to close their nostrils, making a protective water-tight seal.
When they sense danger or feel threatened, they will remain submerged, either moving to a different area or staying still until they feel safe to resurface.
4. They can Get Sunburnt
Hippopotamuses, like whales and a few other mammals, have minimal body hair. Their hair is only found around their mouths and tail tips. However, they compensate for this by having very thick skin, consisting of approximately two inches of epidermis and just a tiny amount of underlying fat.
Despite its thickness, their skin is susceptible to the African sun. They can get sunburned and dry out. That’s why they spend most of their time in the water to remain cool and wet. If the animals remain out of the water for too long, they risk dehydration.
To protect themselves, these animals have a unique mechanism to protect their sensitive skin. While sunbathing on the shore, they release a heavy, reddish substance from their pores called “blood sweat” that covers their entire body.
This secretion contains red and orange acids that absorb UV rays and prevent bacterial growth. This has given rise to the widely held belief that they shed blood. They do not, however, possess any sweat glands.
5. Diet
These mammals spend most of their daylight hours submerged in shallow water and emerge in the evening to look for food. They can graze for up to 6 hours. Despite their large size, they consume only 65-100 pounds (29 – 45 kg) of grass and foliage per night, which is around 1-1.5% of their body weight. In contrast, the biggest cattle consume 2.5% of their body weight daily.
Although these fat creatures prefer eating short grass patches near water, they may have to embark on long land journeys to find food and explore new rivers or lakes. These vegetarian creatures are largely inactive, they spend most of their energy eating.
They rely on their ears to detect the sound of fruit falling, while their excellent sense of smell helps them locate delicious treats. To eat food, they use their lips to pull out plant parts and grind them up with their molars, not their incisors.
The animals face threats from several natural predators, including large cats, hyenas, and crocodiles. These predators often target the smallest offspring, particularly if they stray too far from the group. Additionally, they seek out older or injured hippos that are unable to defend themselves.
6. They live in groups
The pygmy are primarily solitary creatures, whereas common hippos are sociable and live in groups of 10 to 30 individuals. However, it’s not uncommon for them to be spotted in large groups, known as bloats, dales, herds, or pods, with up to 200 individuals.
Within a typical hippo herd, the majority are females accompanied by their offspring, along with one territorial male and several males. The territorial male, known as the alpha male, has a designated area of the beach or lake edge to call his own.
As the leader of the herd, the alpha male has the right to mate with all adult females under his domain. Sometimes, he may also permit other males to breed with females within his territory.
To assert his dominance and remind other members of his territory, the alpha male tosses his feces as far as he can with his fan-shaped tail. Besides the vocal displays and rituals, the male barely has a real battle unless a bachelor male challenges him for dominance over his patch and harem.
During confrontations, the rival males engage in “gaping,” where they stand nose to nose with their mouths open up to a 150-degree angle to assess each other.
In most cases, the smaller male will retreat without being pursued by the larger. However, when they decide to engage in a fight, they use their tusks to slash out or swing their massive heads like sledgehammers while screaming. Such aggressive battles can be fatal for them.
7. They are quite dangerous
Despite being herbivores, these species can exhibit aggressive behavior when they perceive a threat, such as when their territory is invaded or their young is approached by something or someone. Males will attack any intruder, including their own kin, other animals, or even humans who enter their zone.
They are considered one of Africa’s deadliest animals due to their immense strength. In fact, the chances of being killed in a hippo encounter are higher (86.7%) than those of lions (75%) or sharks (25%). Although the exact number that hippos killing humans is unknown, estimates suggest that it could be anywhere from 500 to 3,000 per year.
These species possess impressive teeth within their massive jaws. They use their molars to eat and their lengthy, sharp canines, which can grow to be 20 inches, to fight. With jaw strength that can open up to 150o, their bite is almost 3 times more forceful than that of a lion. With just a single bite, they can break a boat in half, crush a crocodile, and rip a human body in half.
In comparison, an adult human male typically has a bite force of around 200 pounds per square inch (PSI), whereas a fully grown hippopotamus can exert a bite force of up to 1800 PSI.
8. Hippos Are noisy
These animals use a variety of vocalizations to communicate with each other in their groups, and their calls can be quite loud. Some of these sounds have been measured at 115 decibels, which is equivalent to the volume of being 15 feet away from the speakers at a rock concert! These noises have been described as squeaks, growls, honks, whines, and even human-like laughter.
On land, their calls can travel up to a mile away, and they are also capable of vocalizing underwater. Like other animals, they convey messages through their calls. It could be a warning of danger, an indication of moving or remaining still, or a call for their offspring.
9. They are polygynous
They tend to mate during the dry season. The females mate once every two years while the male mates with whichever females are in heat at the time.
During mating season, the dominant male selects his partners which is more than one to ensure the survival of his young. The alpha males may have as many as 10 mates during their lifetime, while other males compete for the remaining females.
These big creatures like to mate in water, but they can also breed on land. The females have a lengthy gestational period of about 8 months, similar to humans. When the female is close to giving birth, she separates from the herd for a week or two to give birth to one calf during the wet season, either underwater or on land.
In the event of a baby is born underwater, the mother must guide it to the surface for air, as the newborns can only hold their breath for about 40 seconds. The mother will remain in the water with her offspring for multiple days without feeding until the calf becomes strong enough for them to venture out at night to graze.
In 8 months, the mother nurses her newborn, even underwater. The calf’s eyes and nostrils will close to prevent water ingestion, and they can maintain their position for a while. For nearly a year, the calf will stay with its mother in the alpha male’s territory, where they have protection and shelter.
A newborn hippo is around ten times the size of a human infant! At birth, they weigh around 60 pounds (27 kg), but they quickly pack on weight. Female juveniles tend to stay within their mother’s group, while males venture out once they reach sexual maturity, which typically takes around 3.5 years.
Typically, their lifespan is around 40 years. However, their life expectancy in capacity is about 10 years longer. Bertha, who resided in the Manila Zoo in the Philippines, holds the record for being the oldest known hippo ever recorded. She passed away in 2017 at the estimated age of 65.
10. They’re endangered
The IUCN’s Red List categorizes hippos as vulnerable to extinction, with their population dwindling most drastically in the Congo of central Africa. Only around 1,000 individuals are remaining from a previous population of nearly 30,000. The species’ slow reproductive rate makes them particularly vulnerable to threats that can have a significant impact on their numbers.
Despite having few natural predators, these animals face various threats such as poaching for their fat, meat, and ivory tusks. They also experience conflicts with humans and habitat loss caused by human activities and climate change.
The loss of hippos, as ecosystem engineers, has an impact on the entire ecosystem. Their pooping in waterways during the day delivers crucial nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to other species in the ecosystem through the waterways. However, human activities can disrupt this vital cycle.
References: