Hippopotamus

When people think of African Wildlife, the Hippo always comes to mind.  These aquatic or water loving animals live throughout most African wetland areas.  They’re hard to miss due to their great size.  After elephants, they are the heaviest land animals on the planet.  Hippos will charge, bite and stomp intruders that enter their territory or approach their calves, making them more dangerous than lions.

Physical Description

Hippos are huge animals.  They can reach 12 feet in length and weigh an incredible 8,000 pounds.  Hippos range in color from pinkish to brown to bluish.  They have a barrel shaped body with a large rounded head, stumpy legs and a stumpy tail.  A hippo’s eyes, ears and nose are located on top of its head so that it can see. Breathe and hear with its body underwater.  A hippo can close its nostrils when it dives underwater.  These animals have very large teeth called tusks, which help them to slice through food and scare away enemies.

Family Life

Mother hippos give birth to 1 baby called a calf.  Calves can be born on land, in the water or underwater.  Mother hippos are very protective of their young and will give them a piggyback in deep water or when danger is near.  After 2 weeks mother hippos and their calves rejoin their herds.  Herds can be as small as 10 animals or as large as 150 animals.

Diet

Grasses and sometimes animal remains