The hippo’s yawn is not a sign of sleepiness or boredom but is actually a threat gesture, displaying long, thick, razor-sharp canine teeth, or tusks, with which it is capable of biting a small boat in half. Being fearlessly protective of their turf and young, hippos have killed hundreds of people in Africa – more than any other wild animal.
Hippopotamus amphibius means “river horse.” The hippo, weighing 1 800 kg (4,000 pounds) and more, lives in Africa, south of the Sahara and along the length of the Nile river, although its range once included Asia and large parts of Europe. Hippos prefer rivers with deep water and nearby reed beds and grasslands, but are also found in salt-water areas near river mouths, and in lakes in Central Africa. They are hoofed vegetarians, feeding on grass, fallen fruit, and occasionally on cultivated crops such as sugar cane or corn during the night. They spend most of the day in the water.
Although not part of the Big Five, the hippo is the third biggest land animal, slightly smaller but heavier than a white rhino (the elephant is the biggest). In spite of its huge size – 3 metres (12 feet) in length, 1,5 metres (five feet) tall, with a mouth measuring a half metre (two feet) across – the hippopotamus can outrun a human. The bellowing of a bull hippo measures an ear-splitting 115 decibels, sounding like the roar of a lion. (The blue whale is the loudest animal, calling out at up to 188 decibels.)
Nearly all of the famous African explorers and hunters – Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, Selous, Speke, DuChaillu – had boating mishaps with hippos. All considered the hippo to be a wantonly malicious beast. Spencer Tyron, a hunter, was killed while hunting near the shores of Lake Rukwa, Tanzania. A bull hippo turned over the dugout canoe from which Tyron was shooting, and bit off his head and shoulders.
Recent DNA evidence suggests that the hippopotamus is more closely related to cetaceans (whales and dolphins) than it is to any other artiodactyl (even-toed hoofed mammal).
A hippopotamus and a pygmy hippopotamus
The tusk-like incisors and canines grow continuously. They are ivory, valued even more highly than an elephant’s because they do not turn yellow with age. George Washington’s false teeth were not made of wood, as is commonly believed, but were carved from the tusks of a hippopotamus.
The ears and nostrils – located at the top of the head – close automatically when the animal is under water. It has practically no hair, and its smooth skin is quite delicate. The hippo’s skin exudes a red, oily liquid that keeps the skin moist and protected when it is out of water. The liquid has lead to a myth that the hippo sweats blood.
One young is born at a time, after a gestation of around 230 days. Births usually occur in months of heavy rainfall, but can occur year-round. Young hippos will also bask on their mother’s back. A group of hippos is called a “bloat.”
View Comments to “Fascinating facts about the hippo”
Hippos are gay:)
[...] in the croc world – 1 or 2 a year – mostly because people steer away from them. Hippos cause more human deaths than any other [...]
that means hippos without young are just bullies? I hate bullies.
I would kill a hippo with my bare hands. They don't stand a chance against my homicidal grip.
I heard the japanese used kamikaze hippos during world war 2. Do you know anything about this?
I don't know Chel. Hippos don't have health insurance, I'd be pissed if I was a hippo and a boat ran over my back too.
hippo sauce. It's kinda like ranch dressing.
I think they will eat you
it depends, does said hippo also have a samurai sword? If so the question then lies in who has the bigger sword. My guess would be the hippo.
you can try
you spelled weird wrong
man that was stupidly
Insects are animals, they are within the kingdom animalia.
Can a human outrun the hippo if needed?
HIPPOS LOOK WEARD!!!
no they cant…..
on land that is the easyist way!!!!!!
a mosquito is not a animal, it is an insect.
hippos do actually kill more people than any other animal, because they are really territorial.
Motorboats have “hurt their backs?” That sure sounds like a scientific fact. AHhhahahahah. That is Definitely Not the reason that Hippo's attack. More like boats are in the hippo's habitat and are a potential threat.
Alright me and my friends are having a debate and i need feedback. seeing as hippos are non terratorial on land and not as nimble could a human equipped with a samurai sword fend off and or kill the hippo i say that i could
Our boat on the Zambezi river was attacked by a dominant male, when we got too close to his pod… I was thrown into the river, and managed to dodge him and a croc…. he bit a beer can size hole in the boat….
crazy…. Now, there are hippos transported to South America, where they are threatening the local environment, as well as native fishers….
either. when a hippo kill another animal that has crossed their land, they get angry.they kill mostly on land or they fight for mates. sorry i am barley answering noe.
funny
I also have an hippo.
Mosquitoes don't kill people – the parasite that they carry that causes malaria does: see http://didyouknow.org/animals/mosquitoes.htm. But they thus are responsible for the deaths of more people than any other animal.
“Hippos kill more people than any other animal”
Really? Even more than the mosquito than kills >240 million each year?
Asome write up!
Hey!!! Like your response! I really hope hippos don't eat me. Write back LOL TOY
interesting
do they kill bull sharks
i told all my friends at the zoo about hippos, aren't i clever! they are big scary animals and they have killed more humans than any other wild animal….
Our 15' aluminum boat was attacked by a male hippo when the guide got too close to a large male. It almost flipped the boat – but did put a 3″ hole in the side – about 6″ above the water line.
My wife was tossed out into the fast flowing Zambezi – on the side of the boat opposite the hippo. She went under the water and said all she could think of (concurrently) was to avoid the hippo, boat propeller, and grab onto the boat before she was swept away. There were 4 of us plus the guide in the boat. I was stunned for a moment – but the other 2 guests were already reaching for her and pulling her back into the boat when I regained my senses.
We stupidly were not wearing life jackets.
What does the skin ooze exactly
white rhino is heavier then the hippo….the black rhino is lighter then the hippo thou.
They mostly attack in water actually. Hippos are not carnivorous, they attack because of the motorboats that have hurt their backs. When they hear the sound of an engine, they will chase them, and they are much faster and nimble IN the water than out of it.
On land. Hippos are remarkably quick out of the water, attacking anybody or anything that they feel might be a threat to their young.
Where are predominant hippo kills. On land or in water ?