The hippopotamus is a cloven-hoofed, non-ruminant animal. It spends the main part of its life in water, coming onto land only to feed.
The hippo population was once quite prosperous and large. Hippos were found not only in Africa, but also in the Middle East, namely in Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine at the beginning of the Iron Age. Even before the onset of drought, approximately 7 thousand years ago BC, large herds of these animals lived in the Sahara. In ancient times, hippopotamuses were found in the North West Africa in the territory modern states Algeria and Morocco. The hippopotamus was also common in Egypt in the Nile Delta; it completely disappeared from Egypt by the beginning of the 19th century.
Hippopotamus habitat
The modern habitat of the hippopotamus has been preserved only in the south of the Sahara. The bulk of the population of all hippos lives in East and South-East Africa, in the following countries: Mozambique, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi. The largest number of hippopotamuses in Zambia is 40 thousand individuals. Until 2000, a large number of animals lived in Zimbabwe. But due to the collapse of the country’s economy, its population was forced to destroy most of the hippopotamus population. In South Africa, hippos live only in national park them. Kruger. All inhabitants in this reserve are under protection, so the number of hippos in the park is not in danger. 
In West Africa, hippos are very few in number, about 7 thousand individuals. The entire number of animals is scattered across nineteen countries in this part African continent. The largest of them is in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.
Until 1994, large populations of hippopotamus lived in the Democratic Republic of People's Republic Congo, about 30 thousand heads. It was the second country with the largest number of hippopotamuses after Zambia. As a result of the outbreak of military conflict and famine, the country's population destroyed almost all hippos. And by 2005, only 900 animals remained from the large herd. For the same reasons, the hippopotamus population has declined in Burundi and Rwanda.
Hippopotamus habitats
Hippos spend 80% of their lives in water. The hippopotamus lives in fresh water bodies. Most often these are river estuaries, lakes or places where rivers fall into the sea. Hippos do not live in salt water, so meet them in the sea very rare. Although there are cases where hippos fell into the sea and tried to swim to the islands. Thus, small populations ended up on the islands of Zanzibar and Bijagos, as well as on the coast of Guinea-Bissau. 
In addition to lakes and rivers, hippos settle in relatively small bodies of water in savannahs. The main criteria in such circumstances are that the reservoir does not dry out throughout the year and that the herd is conveniently housed in the lake. Wet forests Often, ordinary hippopotamuses do not inhabit them; only pygmy hippopotamuses inhabit them. The only exceptions can be the shores large rivers in such an area. In addition to water, a mandatory factor for the hippopotamus’ habitat is herbaceous vegetation, which is included in its diet.
Hippopotamus, or hippopotamus (Hippopotamus) is a relatively large genus represented by artiodactyls, which now includes the only modern look – common hippopotamus, and significant amount currently extinct species.
Description of hippos
The Latin name for hippopotamuses was borrowed from the ancient Greek language, where such animals were called “river horse.” This is what the ancient Greeks used to call giant animals that lived in fresh water bodies and were capable of making quite loud sounds, a bit like the neighing of a horse. In our country and some CIS countries, such a mammal is called a hippopotamus, but in general, hippos and hippos are the same animal.
This is interesting! Initially, the closest relatives of hippopotamuses included pigs, but thanks to research conducted ten years ago, the presence of closely related ties with whales was proven.
General signs are represented by the ability of such animals to reproduce their offspring and feed babies under water, the absence of sebaceous glands, the presence of a special system of signals used for communication, as well as the structure of the reproductive organs.
Appearance
The peculiar appearance of hippos does not allow them to be confused with any other large wild animals. They have a giant barrel-shaped body and are not too much smaller in size than elephants. Hippos grow throughout their lives, and at the age of ten, males and females weigh almost the same. Only after this do males begin to increase their body weight as intensively as possible, so they very quickly become larger than females.
The massive body is located on short legs, so when walking, the animal’s abdominal area often touches the surface of the ground. The legs have four toes and a very peculiar hoof. There are membranes in the space between the toes, thanks to which the mammal is able to swim well. The tail of the common hippopotamus reaches a length of 55-56 cm, thick at the base, round, gradually tapering and becoming almost flat towards the end. Thanks to special structure tail, wild animals They spray their droppings over an impressive distance and mark their individual territory in this unusual way.
This is interesting! The simply enormous head of an adult hippopotamus occupies a quarter of the total mass of the animal and often weighs about a ton.
The front of the skull is slightly blunted, and in profile it is characterized by a rectangular shape. The animal's ears are small in size, highly mobile, the nostrils are widened, the eyes are small and buried in fairly fleshy eyelids. The ears, nostrils and eyes of a hippopotamus are characterized by a high set and location on a single line, which allows the animal to be almost completely immersed in water and at the same time continue to look, breathe or hear. Male hippopotamuses differ from females by special pineal-shaped swellings located in the lateral part, next to the nostrils. These swellings represent the bases of large fangs. Among other things, females are somewhat smaller than males.
The muzzle of the hippopotamus is wide, dotted with short and very hard vibrissae in front. When the mouth opens, an angle of 150° is formed, and the width is sufficient powerful jaws averages 60-70 cm. Common hippopotamuses have 36 teeth, which are covered with yellow enamel.
On each jaw there are six molars, six premolars, as well as a pair of canines and four incisors. Males have especially developed sharp fangs, which are distinguished by a sickle shape and a longitudinal groove located on the lower jaw. With age, the canines gradually bend backwards. Some hippos have fangs that reach a length of 58-60 cm and weigh up to 3.0 kg.
Hippos are extremely thick-skinned animals, but at the base of the tail the skin is quite thin. The dorsal area is gray or greyish-brown, and pink is present on the belly, ears and around the eyes. There is almost no hair on the skin, with the exception of short bristles located on the ears and the tip of the tail.
This is interesting! Adult hippos take only about five breaths per minute, thanks to which they are able to dive, remaining without air under water for up to ten minutes.
Very sparse hairs grow on the sides and belly. The hippopotamus does not have sweat and sebaceous glands, but there are special skin glands that are characteristic only of such animals. On hot days, the skin of the mammal is covered with a red mucous secretion, which serves as protection and antiseptic, and also repels bloodsuckers.
Character and lifestyle
Hippos are not comfortable being alone, so they prefer to unite in groups consisting of 15-100 individuals. Throughout the whole day, the herd is able to bask in the water, and only at dusk does it go in search of food. Only the females are responsible for the calm environment in the herd, who look after the livestock on vacation. Males also exercise control over the group, ensuring the safety of not only the females, but also the cubs. Males are very aggressive animals. As soon as the male reaches the age of seven, he tries to achieve high position and dominance in the community, spraying other males with dung and urine, yawning with all its mouth and using a loud roar.
The slowness, slowness and obesity of hippopotamuses is deceptive. Such a large animal is capable of running at speeds of up to 30 km/h. Hippos are characterized by communicative communication through a voice that resembles the grunting or neighing of a horse. A pose expressing submission, with the head down, is adopted by weak hippos that come into the field of view of dominant males. It is very jealously guarded by adult males and its own territory. Hippopotamuses actively mark individual trails, and such unique marks are updated on a daily basis.
How long do hippos live?
The lifespan of a hippopotamus is about four decades, so experts who study such animals claim that to date they have never encountered wildlife hippos older than 41-42 years. In captivity, the life expectancy of such animals may well reach half a century, and in some, quite in rare cases, hippopotamuses live six decades. It should be noted that after complete wear of the molars, the mammal is not able to live for too long.
Types of hippos
Most known species hippopotamuses:
- Common hippopotamus, or hippopotamus (Nirrorotamus amphibius), is a mammal belonging to the order Artiodactyla and the suborder Porciniformes (non-ruminant) from the family Hippopotamia. Feature represented by a semi-aquatic lifestyle;
- European hippopotamus (Nirrorotamus antiquus) - one of the extinct species that lived in Europe during the Pleistocene period;
- Pygmy Cretan hippopotamus (Nirrorotamus creutzburgi) - one of the extinct species that lived on Crete during the Pleistocene period, and is represented by a pair of subspecies: Nyrrorotamus сrеutzburgi сrеutzburgi and Nyrrorotamus сrеutzburgi parvus;
- Giant hippopotamus (Nirrorotamus major) - one of the extinct species that lived during the Pleistocene period on European territory. Giant hippos were hunted by Neanderthals;
- Pygmy Maltese hippopotamus (Nirrorotamus melitensis) - one of the extinct species of the genus of hippopotamus, which colonized Malta and lived there during the Pleistocene period. Due to the lack of predators, insular dwarfism developed;
- Pygmy Cypriot hippopotamus (Nirrorotamus minor) is one of the extinct species of hippopotamus that lived in Cyprus until the early Holocene period. Cyprus pygmy hippopotamuses reached a body weight of two hundred kilograms.
Species that conventionally belong to the genus Nirrorotamus are represented by H.aethioricus, H.apharensis or Triloborhorus apharensis, H.behemoth, H.kaisensis and H.sirensis.
Range, habitats
Common hippopotamuses live only near fresh water bodies, but are quite capable of occasionally finding themselves in sea waters. Inhabit Africa coastline freshwater bodies in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique, as well as waters in other countries towards the southern part of the Sahara.
The distribution area of the European hippopotamus was represented by the territory from the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles, as well as the Rhine River. Crete was colonized by pygmy hippopotamuses during the Middle Pleistocene. Modern pygmy hippopotamuses live exclusively in Africa, including Liberia, the Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Republic of Cote D'Ivoire.
Hippopotamus diet
Even despite my impressive size and power, as well as a terrifying appearance and noticeable aggressiveness, all hippos belong to the category of herbivores. With the onset of evening, gregarious representatives of the Artiodactyla order and the Hippopotamus family move to the pasture with a sufficient number of herbaceous plants. If there is a lack of grass in the selected area, animals are able to move several kilometers away in search of food.
To provide themselves with food, hippos chew food for several hours, using for this purpose forty kilograms plant food for one feeding. Hippos feed on all kinds of herbs, reeds and young shoots of trees or shrubs. It is extremely rare for such mammals to eat carrion near water bodies. According to some scientists, eating carrion is promoted by health problems or deficiency of basic nutrition, since digestive system representatives of the order Artiodactyls are completely unsuited for fully processing meat.
The same paths are used to visit the pasture, and the animals leave the grassy feeding areas before dawn. If they need to cool down or gain strength, hippos often wander even into other people's waters. An interesting fact is that hippos are not able to chew vegetation like other ruminants, so they tear the greenery with their teeth, or suck it in with their fleshy and muscular, almost half-meter lips.
Reproduction and offspring
The reproduction of the hippopotamus has been studied rather poorly compared to a similar process in other large-sized herbivores in Africa, including rhinoceroses and elephants. The female reaches sexual maturity between seven and fifteen years, and males become fully sexually mature somewhat earlier. According to experts, the hippo's breeding timing may be tied to seasonal weather changes, but mating typically occurs a couple of times a year, around August and February. About 60% of cubs are born during the rainy season.
In each herd, there is most often a single dominant male who mates with sexually mature females. This right is defended by the animal in the process of battle with other individuals. The battle is accompanied by wounds with fangs and strong, sometimes fatal blows to the head. The skin of an adult male is always covered with numerous scars. The mating process takes place in the shallow waters of a reservoir.
This is interesting! Early puberty helps to activate the rate of reproduction of hippopotamuses, so individual populations of representatives of the order Artiodactyla and the Hippopotamus family can recover quite quickly.
An eight-month pregnancy ends with childbirth, before which the female leaves the herd. The birth of offspring can occur both in water and on land, in the likeness of a grass nest. The weight of a newborn is about 28-48 kg, with a body length of about a meter and a half-meter height of the animal at the shoulders. The cub quickly adapts to stand on its own feet quite well. A female and her cub stay outside the herd for about ten days, and the total lactation period is one and a half years. Breastfeeding often occurs in water.
Hippopotamus, or hippopotamus, is a mammal from the order Artiodactyls, living in Africa. Leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle. This is one of the largest land animals. How much does a hippopotamus weigh, what does it eat, what types are there? The answers to these and other questions are in the article.
The hippopotamus got its name in honor of the biblical monster from the book of Job. There is a version that the biblical hippopotamus is an elephant. Another name for the animal is hippopotamus, which means “water horse” in Greek.
The body of the animal is massive, barrel-shaped. The paws are short and thick. The head is large, rectangular, with a blunt snout. Its weight is a quarter of the mass of the beast. The neck of the hippopotamus is short. The eyes are small, the ears are small and mobile. The nostrils are positioned so that the hippopotamus can breathe while completely immersed in water. A notable feature in the appearance of the animal is its gigantic mouth, capable of opening 150°, with huge, powerful teeth.
While the molars are used for grinding food, the incisors located in the center of the palate and the canines are needed only for fighting. The latter are especially great. Large males reach half a meter. The largest fang weighed 3 kg and was almost 65 cm in length.
The animal's skeleton is designed to support enormous weight. The bones are massive, heavy, the shoulder blades are located vertically, forming one line with the front legs. The skull is disproportionately small. The brain is very small compared to the rest of the body, but the jaws are disproportionately large.
The skin is hairless, thick, 4 or more cm in length. The animal does not have sweat or sebaceous glands; instead, a red secretion is secreted, which from the outside looks like bloody sweat. It protects the skin from burns, which is important given the lack of hair in animals.
Despite its size, the animal runs, reaching speeds of 30 km/h. Having accelerated, it can easily crush a not too large animal that accidentally finds itself in the way.
How much does a hippopotamus weigh?
By different sources, the weight of the male ranges from three and a half to four and a half tons. Males weighing three tons are found, but the weight rarely exceeds two tons.
The dimensions are impressive. With a height of 1.65 m, the animal can reach a length of almost 5.5 m, which makes it the second largest land animal (on par with the white rhinoceros) after the elephant.
Character and lifestyle
Hippos live in small groups of 20-30 individuals, although there are herds of 150-200 heads. Every group has a dominant male who has the right to females. There are often battles for leadership, so the bodies of old hippos are covered with scars.
Males without harems live alone and jealously guard their territory from strangers. Females remain in the herd where they were born. Young males without females can form small herds.
Where do hippos live?
Previously, hippos were different great variety species, lived almost throughout the entire territory of the African continent, were found on Far East. Now they live only in the south of the Sahara Desert, except for the island of Madagascar. The dwarf can be seen in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast (western part of the mainland).
The hippopotamus leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle, therefore it settles in areas of lakes, swamps, and along the banks lazy rivers. It can make do with small bodies of water in savannas, but they must be quite deep to be able to completely immerse themselves in them. The presence of grassy lowlands used for feeding is important.
Behavioral features
Most The hippopotamus spends time in the water, leaving only its nostrils on the surface. The animal comes out to feed at night and returns to the water at dawn. Since he lives in the same place for a long time, over time he tramples the road, a hippopotamus trail, extremely dangerous for any animal that finds itself on it.
The hippopotamus uses sound signals to communicate with its relatives. The animal's voice is usually reduced to a roar or grunt. This is enough to show aggression, readiness to mate, and warn of danger. To demonstrate strength, the male usually opens his mouth wide.
A characteristic feature of hippopotamuses is marking their territory. Feces and urine are scattered over several meters, droppings even reach the tops of trees. The male also leaves heaps of excrement on his territory, sometimes reaching a meter in height. The female marks her territory less often.
By its nature, the hippopotamus is an extremely aggressive animal. It does not tolerate the appearance of relatives or other animals on its territory. There are known cases when a hippopotamus even got into fights with elephants and rhinoceroses. Often attacks people, often destroys fields. In terms of the number of people killed and maimed, the hippopotamus surpasses the lion, buffalo, rhinoceros, and elephant, and is rightfully considered the most dangerous among the wild animals of the African continent.
What does a hippopotamus (hippopotamus) eat?
The hippopotamus is a herbivore, but can also eat meat. The main food is terrestrial and semi-aquatic grass. Does not consume aquatic vegetation as food. He plucks the grass with his thick lips. The huge (60 meters long) intestines allow for better digestion and absorption of food.
There are known cases of attacks on other animals. Victims can include gazelles, antelopes, cows, and most often carrion and wounded animals. Hippos can eat their dead relatives.
What are the differences between types of hippopotamuses?
In the world, in addition to the ordinary hippopotamus, which was discussed above, there is another species - pygmy hippopotamus, or hippopotamus. This is a rare, endangered animal, discovered in 1911.
The pygmy hippopotamus is similar in appearance to the ordinary one, leads a similar lifestyle, but there are a number of differences:
- Smaller sizes. Height - up to 83 cm, length - up to 177 cm.
- Weight - up to 275 kg.
- The body is less heavy and massive.
- Legs are longer.
- The head is smaller, shorter.
- The neck is more pronounced.
- The eyes and nostrils do not protrude as much.
This species of hippopotamus leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle. It is a solitary and not a herd animal. Compared to an ordinary hippopotamus, the pygmy hippopotamus is not so attached to water; when in danger, it runs away into the forest. Not inclined to defend their territories, less aggressive.
Unlike its larger relative, who does not disdain carrion and sometimes hunts other animals, the pygmy hippopotamus feeds on grass, shoots, and fruits. In its lifestyle, habitat, character, and diet, this animal is similar to the South American tapir.
Reproduction of hippopotamuses, life expectancy, care of offspring
The reproduction of common hippopotamuses has been studied much less well than the reproduction of other large herbivores. The reproduction of pygmy hippopotamuses is known only from observations of individuals in captivity.
Common hippopotamuses
The common hippopotamus is a polygynous animal, meaning one male mates with several females in a group. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 7.5 (females), 9 years (males). Mating time is related to seasonal changes weather, usually takes place in February and August.
In a herd of hippos, there is only one dominant male who has the right to mate with females. For this place you have to fight with other males, which often ends in the death of one of the participants.
The female's pregnancy lasts about eight months. Before the birth of the calf, the female individual moves away from the herd. Females give birth in water, although cases of birth on land are known. After the baby is born, the mother pushes it to the surface to prevent it from suffocating.
Until the calf is strong enough to get ashore on its own, the mother does not eat anything and is constantly nearby. The female and cub remain outside the herd for about ten days. The mother feeds milk for the first 18 months. The cub drinks milk on land and in water. The females take care of the offspring; in the herd they and the cubs are in the middle and do not allow males into their territory.
IN natural environment Hippos live about 40 years. There is an assumption that life expectancy is related to the condition of teeth. The hippopotamus dies soon after the molars are completely worn away. In captivity they often live up to 50 years, the longevity record is 60 years.
Pygmy hippos
Judging by its behavior in captivity, this is a monogamous animal that forms stable pairs. Animals reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-5 years. mating season does not depend on the time of year. Pregnancy in animals lasts 200 days; they give birth exclusively on land. A newborn calf weighs from 4.5 to 6 kg, begins to walk early, and takes longer to learn to swim. It feeds on mother's milk for the first 6-8 months.
The lifespan of pygmy hippos is shorter than that of ordinary hippos, at 35 years (in captivity).
Keeping hippos in a zoo
Unlike elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses came to Europe relatively late. The first hippopotamus was Obaish, which visitors to the London Zoo first saw in 1850. Even later, dwarf hippopotamuses appeared, discovered only at the beginning of the 20th century. Nowadays, common hippopotamuses are found in zoos and breed in captivity, although not often. Dwarfs are rarely seen in zoos.
In captivity, animals are fed grass, hay, fresh fruits, and vegetables. It is better to get used to this food from childhood. Hippos do not need a separate drinking bowl; they drink water from the pond, but they will need it if the water becomes too dirty.
A big problem during maintenance is marking the territory with feces. The enclosure is being rebuilt in such a way as to protect visitors.
When treating hippos serious problem- injections. The only place where the syringe penetrates the skin is the area under the tail. In other cases, you need a needle that can pierce thick skin.
Conclusion
At the beginning of the last century, hippos lived throughout Africa; now they are found only in the central and southern parts of the continent. The number is steadily declining.
The main enemy of hippopotamuses is man. Animals are hunted for delicious meat, durable skins. Peasants often kill these animals because they ruin their fields. Greatest danger for hippos - poachers who hunt them for their teeth. The latter are second only to ivory in value and can easily be passed off as ivory. Changes seriously affect the number of animals natural conditions habitats: draining rivers, creating dams, irrigation.
In some regions, the population of hippos has decreased by 10-30 times over several decades. Now their number is about 150 thousand. The situation is worse with pygmy hippopotamuses. If recently their number barely reached 3 thousand, now it has decreased to 1 thousand. Perhaps in the future these animals can only be seen in a zoo. The task of man is to preserve the animal.
To uninformed people it may seem that the pygmy hippopotamus is the result of genetic engineering and was bred artificially. But in fact, Mother Nature created a smaller copy of the hippopotamuses we are used to; these are two representatives of the same species. Pygmy hippos are so little known because of their rarity - today there are no more than a thousand of them.
Pygmy hippopotamus
In natural habitats
The New World first learned about the existence of these unusual animals from the German zoologist G. Schomburgk in 1911. In the places of their natural population, in West Africa, civil wars, deforestation is taking place and people are conquering lands from nature, and poverty makes it impossible to provide them with protection in the state level. Locals they call them mwe-mwe, or nigbwe.
Pygmy hippos are very similar to their huge relatives; they also prefer to spend time in the water during the day, coming out onto land at night to refresh themselves. But there is also a significant difference - the absence of aggressiveness, which is why there are no wars for territory. Of course, pygmy hippopotamuses also mark their territories with droppings; about two square kilometers are allotted to one individual, but if another hippopotamus invades it, the owner will watch him indifferently. The uninvited guest will leave soon anyway, no big deal.
Hippo Walk This is a rather secretive animal, most active in the dark, which is why there is rather little information about its lifestyle. Fortunately, hippos do well in captivity, and many zoos around the world can boast of them.
Characteristics of the animal
The size of a pygmy hippopotamus with a pig. To be more precise:
- Height – up to 75 cm;
- Weight – up to 280 kg. For comparison, an ordinary hippopotamus weighs up to 4500 kg;
- Length – up to 190 cm;
- The color is the same as that of an ordinary hippopotamus;
- Life expectancy is up to 35 years.
Harry the Hippo As is already clear, the baby’s character is calm and balanced. The brain is poorly developed and cannot be trained, but it remembers people perfectly, and after a while it can respond to a nickname.
The female may not wake up maternal instinct, as happened in a South African reserve, and the baby had to be artificially fed.
Artificial feeding of hippopotamus They are not particularly curious and playful, preferring water treatments at a shallow depth so that you can lie, just watching everything around you, half asleep.
Buying a Pygmy Hippopotamus
We will immediately disappoint you on this issue - it is impossible to buy this rare animal in Russia. The reason is banal - we have neither breeders nor nurseries. They live only in zoos, where, although very rarely, they also reproduce. Although in the presence of very large financial opportunities and certain circle dating, you can buy a baby, such cases have already taken place. The second option is to take the animal across the border, but together with a wild animal you will acquire a lot of diseases from which we have no immunity, and an absolutely uncontrollable character, the owner of which will be impossible to tame.
The price also remains behind a dark veil, and that’s understandable.
Not for reference information, but just as food for thought, let's look at keeping a pygmy hippopotamus at home. What if your relative is the director of a zoo, and he will need to keep the animal somewhere while the complex is disinfected.
Due to the peculiarity skin, requiring constant moisture, its maintenance will require a shallow pool or pond. If or adapts to the conditions of detention, then in the case of a hippopotamus, on the contrary, you will have to adjust the conditions to it.
Mom and baby in the pool If allowed climatic conditions, That the best option will build a large enclosure surrounded by a strong fence. Land special requirements does not present, but ordinary soft hay is better suited.
Baby in the manger They are indifferent to other pets, and at a young age they can even make friends and frolic a little. Strangers hippos are not afraid, so you can arrange small viewings, of course, if you have the animal under legal conditions.
Diet
All hippos are herbivores, and at night they go to the edge of the forest to chew fresh grass. If you are accustomed to vegetables and fruits from childhood, the diet will become somewhat more varied, as in the photo below, but you should not offer meat and fish products, this is unacceptable for a hippopotamus.
Animal diet They do not need a separate drinking bowl, as they drink water from the pond in which they rest. If the water there is downright dirty, then a sippy cup with clean water necessary.
You must understand that the calorie content of such food is small, and for such a body weight you have to eat almost half of the entire waking time.
For comparison, you can ask familiar pig owners - the appetites of these animals are almost the same.
And in the end, let’s say that if you still decide to buy an animal such as a pygmy hippopotamus, then you won’t be able to “give it into good hands.” Soberly assess your strengths and capabilities in order to be guaranteed to be able to support this sweet and very rare creature for half of your life.
And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!
Pygmy hippopotamus at the Yekaterinburg Zoo, video
Today we will talk about a chordate mammal called the “common hippopotamus” or “hippopotamus”.
What does a hippopotamus eat in the wild? What do they feed hippos in zoos and nurseries? What is this animal? What is the weight of a hippopotamus? First things first.
Are hippopotamus and hippopotamus the same thing?
Name "hippopotamus" came from Ancient Greece, which translated from the local language means “river horse”. This is how the animal was nicknamed for its cry, similar to that of a horse.
In our country it is customary to call it hippopotamus. This name comes from the Bible, it was the name of one of the many monsters described. Thus, hippopotamus and hippopotamus are one and the same animal.
Previously, pigs were considered closely related to the hippopotamus, but numerous studies showed in 2007 that more close relative for hippopotamus - whale. Common characteristics of these animals:
- viviparity and feeding while in water;
- no sebaceous glands;
- special communication system;
- structure of reproductive organs.
Description of the animal and its characteristics
Its exterior cannot be confused with any other animal. The hippopotamus is recognizable at first sight. Its huge barrel-shaped body is somewhat similar to the body of a rhinoceros. The hippopotamus is right behind the elephant in body mass. It grows all its life, until the age of ten the female differs little from the male, but after this period the males begin to actively gain weight and become larger than the females.
The huge body of the hippopotamus stands on short limbs, because of this the animal practically rubs its belly on the ground. On each limb there are four fingers, between which there are membranes that allow the animal to swim excellently and not drown even in a swamp.
The weight of an adult female hippopotamus is from 1.3 to 1.5 tons, and the weight of a male hippopotamus is from 1.5 to 1.8 tons.
The animal's tail reaches a length of 56 centimeters, it is quite thick at the base and narrow at the tip. This tail structure allows the animal to mark territory by spraying its droppings over long distances and even onto the crowns of trees.
Massive hippopotamus head- a quarter of the animal’s total weight, which is almost a ton. The head in profile has a rectangular shape. The animal's ears are small, but they move very actively, the nostrils are wide and stick out, small eyes are protected by heavy eyelids.
The structure of a hippopotamus' muzzle allows it to dive into water and still breathe normally, see and hear everything. This is achieved due to the fact that the ears, nose and eyes of the animal are located on the same line.
One of the differences between a female and a male is that the male has small bumps near his nose. These are actually the fangs of a male. There are other differences, for example, the female is smaller than the male.
The hippopotamus's mouth is simply gigantic in size; it opens at an angle of 150 degrees. The width of animal jaws can reach 70 centimeters.
In the animal's mouth 36 teeth who have yellow color enamel and pronounced fangs. In total, on one animal jaw there is:
- molars - 6 pieces;
- premolar teeth - 6 pieces;
- fangs - 2 pieces;
- cutters - 4 pieces.
The male has clearly pronounced sharp fangs of the lower jaw, which are shaped like a sickle. Over time, the fangs gradually bend inward.
, the thickness of the skin reaches four centimeters. The color of the animal is mostly gray, but the belly and the area around the ears, as well as on the eyelids, have a pink tint.
The animal completely lacks sweat and sebaceous glands, but there are skin glands that are unique to hippopotamuses. From these glands, on a very hot day, a special secretion appears in the form of red mucus, which is an antiseptic and protects against the sun. This is what creates the impression that the animal is sweating and bleeding. But no, this secret helps the animal to heal wounds on the body that constantly appear, and this kind of sweat also helps to get rid of annoying insects.
Because of their gigantic sizes the hippopotamus seems clumsy, but in fact this is absolutely not the case. It can reach speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour. Due to the specifics of its breathing, the animal inhales only 406 times per minute, which is why it can easily stay under water for about ten minutes.
A characteristic feature of the hippopotamus is communication through shouting, which sounds more like a grunt or growl. Through such a specific neighing, the animal expresses emotions and communicates. The animal screams both on land and in the water.
Hippopotamus habitat
Hippos live in:
- Africa;
- Kenya;
- Zambia;
- Uganda, as well as other sub-Saharan countries.
The lifespan of an animal in the wild is no more than forty years, but in captivity a hippopotamus lives about fifty years. In one of the American zoos there was a unique case when a female hippopotamus lived exactly 60 years.
What do common hippos eat?
At all, hippopotamus - herbivore, but recent research suggests that animals have a tendency towards predation. The beast preys on other animals due to a lack of minerals. It is also not uncommon for hippos to eat carrion.
The diet of a normal hippopotamus consists of large quantity types of vegetation, but animals do not eat aquatic plants. The hippopotamus eats ground grass entirely, down to the roots. One individual consumes up to seventy kilograms of all kinds of greens and plant foods per day.
The hippopotamus' intestine is about 60 meters long, so food is perfectly absorbed in it and thanks to this, the animal needs less food than, for example, the same elephant. Animals look for food for themselves, usually at night.
Hippopotamus: interesting facts
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