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Hippo
The hippopotamus, whose hide alone can weigh half a ton, is the third-largest living land mammal, after elephants and white rhinos. It was considered a female deity of pregnancy in ancient Egypt, but in modern times has been wiped out of that country because of the damage it inflicts on crops. The hippo continues to thrive in other parts of Africa.
Physical Characteristics
Habitat
Hippotamus, plural Hippopotami or commonly named Hippos in South Africa are found mainly in protected areas, private game reserves and the Kruger National Park. They also occur outside of these areas especially in rivers in the northwestern, northern, northeastern as well as in the eastern parts (northern KwaZulu-Natal).
Two hippo species are found in Africa. The large hippo, found in East Africa, occurs south of the Sahara. This social, group-living mammal is so numerous in some areas that "cropping" schemes are used to control populations that have become larger than the habitat can sustain. The other, much smaller (440 to 605 pounds) species of hippo is the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). Limited to very restricted ranges in West Africa, it is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and now rare.
Hippos need permanent open water like rivers, dams, or pools in rivers where they can submerge, with sandbanks where they can bask in the sun for periods of time. They also need enough grazing grass in the area.
Behavior
Diet
Amazingly agile for their bulk, hippos are good climbers and often traverse rather steep banks each night to graze on grass. They exit and enter the water at the same spots and graze for four to five hours each night in loop patterns, covering one or two miles, with extended forays up to five miles. Their modest appetites are due to their sedentary life, which does not require high outputs of energy.
Caring for the young Hippos
A single young is born either on land or in shallow water. In water, the mother helps the newborn to the surface, later teaching it to swim. Newly born hippos are relatively small, weighing from 55 to 120 pounds, and are protected by their mothers, not only from crocodiles and lions but from male hippos that, oddly enough, do not bother them on land but attack them in water.
Young hippos can only stay under water for about half a minute, but adults can stay submerged up to six minutes. Young hippos can suckle under water by taking a deep breath, closing their nostrils and ears and wrapping their tongue tightly around the teat to suck. This procedure must be instinctive, because newborns suckle the same way on land. A young hippo begins to eat grass at 3 weeks, but its mother continues to suckle it for about a year. Newborns often climb on their mothers' backs to rest.
Predators
Lion, Crocodile (only a danger to young Hippos), Humans, loss of habitat. Compared to other animals, hippos are not very susceptible to disease, so in suitable habitats, their numbers can increase quickly. Their chief predators are people, who may hunt hippos for their meat, hides and ivory teeth.
Did you know?
Sources:
http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_hippo.html
http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/enghippo.html?zenden=2&subsoort_id=2&bestemming_id=1
http://www.wildlifesouthafrica.com/blog/mammals-of-south-africa/hippopotamus-hippo-fact-file
The hippopotamus, whose hide alone can weigh half a ton, is the third-largest living land mammal, after elephants and white rhinos. It was considered a female deity of pregnancy in ancient Egypt, but in modern times has been wiped out of that country because of the damage it inflicts on crops. The hippo continues to thrive in other parts of Africa.
Physical Characteristics
- The hippo's proportions reflect its sedentary, amphibious existence.
- Its plump and bulky body is set on short, stumpy legs, with each foot having four toes. Although webbed, the toes splay enough to distribute the weight evenly over each toe and therefore adequately support the hippo on land.
- With very thick skin, especially over the back and rump, the grayish-brown body is almost completely hairless, with only a few bristles around the mouth and the tip of the tail.
- The hippo has neither sweat nor sebaceous glands but does have unique glands that produce a viscous red fluid, leading to the myth that hippos "sweat blood."
- The hippo relies on water or mud to keep it cool, and the red fluid may have a similar function, but it is often produced in copious amounts when the animal is excited.
- The Hippo is a massive, semi-aquatic mammal with a mass of up to 2,5 tons. It is able to walk under water on the river bed, and can remain submerged for five minutes.
Habitat
Hippotamus, plural Hippopotami or commonly named Hippos in South Africa are found mainly in protected areas, private game reserves and the Kruger National Park. They also occur outside of these areas especially in rivers in the northwestern, northern, northeastern as well as in the eastern parts (northern KwaZulu-Natal).
Two hippo species are found in Africa. The large hippo, found in East Africa, occurs south of the Sahara. This social, group-living mammal is so numerous in some areas that "cropping" schemes are used to control populations that have become larger than the habitat can sustain. The other, much smaller (440 to 605 pounds) species of hippo is the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). Limited to very restricted ranges in West Africa, it is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and now rare.
Hippos need permanent open water like rivers, dams, or pools in rivers where they can submerge, with sandbanks where they can bask in the sun for periods of time. They also need enough grazing grass in the area.
Behavior
- The large hippo is an aggressive animal; old scars and fresh, deep wounds are signs of daily fights that are accompanied by much bellowing, neighing and snorting. Hippos have developed some ritualized postures the huge open-mouthed "yawn" that reveals formidable teeth is one of the most aggressive.
- With the long, razor-sharp incisors and tusk like canines, the hippo is well-armed and dangerous.
- Hippos move easily in water, either swimming by kicking their hind legs or walking on the bottom.
- They are well-adapted to their aquatic life, with small ears, eyes and nostrils set at the top of the head.
- These senses are so keen that even submerged in water, the hippo is alert to its surroundings.
- By closing its ears and nostrils, the adult can stay under water for as long as six minutes.
- Hippos are semi–aquatic and gregarious animals.
- They gather or form pods schools of up to 30 animals or more depending on the water level and time of season.
- Hippo pods consist mainly of cows and young hippos with a matriarch and a dominant (territorial) bull in control of the territory.
- Single bulls are also often found. Cows with very young calves often stay on their own for a few months before rejoining the pod.
- Hippos have a flexible social system defined by hierarchy and by feed and water conditions.
- Usually they are found in mixed groups of about 15 individuals, but in periods of drought large numbers are forced to congregate near limited pools of water.
- This overcrowding disrupts the hierarchical system, resulting in even higher levels of aggression, with the oldest and strongest males most dominant. Hippos are unpredictable.
- If they are encountered away from the safety of water, anything that gets between them and their refuge may be bitten or trampled.
Diet
Amazingly agile for their bulk, hippos are good climbers and often traverse rather steep banks each night to graze on grass. They exit and enter the water at the same spots and graze for four to five hours each night in loop patterns, covering one or two miles, with extended forays up to five miles. Their modest appetites are due to their sedentary life, which does not require high outputs of energy.
Caring for the young Hippos
A single young is born either on land or in shallow water. In water, the mother helps the newborn to the surface, later teaching it to swim. Newly born hippos are relatively small, weighing from 55 to 120 pounds, and are protected by their mothers, not only from crocodiles and lions but from male hippos that, oddly enough, do not bother them on land but attack them in water.
Young hippos can only stay under water for about half a minute, but adults can stay submerged up to six minutes. Young hippos can suckle under water by taking a deep breath, closing their nostrils and ears and wrapping their tongue tightly around the teat to suck. This procedure must be instinctive, because newborns suckle the same way on land. A young hippo begins to eat grass at 3 weeks, but its mother continues to suckle it for about a year. Newborns often climb on their mothers' backs to rest.
Predators
Lion, Crocodile (only a danger to young Hippos), Humans, loss of habitat. Compared to other animals, hippos are not very susceptible to disease, so in suitable habitats, their numbers can increase quickly. Their chief predators are people, who may hunt hippos for their meat, hides and ivory teeth.
Did you know?
- The name hippopotamus comes from the Greek "hippos," meaning horse, these animals were once called "river horses." But the hippo is more closely related to the pig than the horse.
- Hippos spend most of their day in water close to shore lying on their bellies. In areas undisturbed by people, hippos lie on the shore in the morning sun.
- Hippos spend their days resting mainly in the water although in winter and on cool days might be resting on sandbanks and basking in the sun especially in winter months.
- They feed mainly at night.
- Hippos can be very aggressive, especially territorial bulls and cows with calves.
- The hippo’s extremely loud and noisy grunts, bellows, blows rumbling snorts, loud grunts and raucous cries; blowing noises when coming up for air, snorts and roars – can be quite disturbing to newcomers to the bush, however it is typical of the African bush near river systems.
- The Hippo can be very dangerous to humans if laws of the wild are not adhered to. They have been known to bite wooden canoes in half and tip small boats over.
- There is a definite increase in Hippo attacks on humans but this is mainly due to the humans becoming arrogant and disrespectful whilst in the wilderness.
Sources:
http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_hippo.html
http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/enghippo.html?zenden=2&subsoort_id=2&bestemming_id=1
http://www.wildlifesouthafrica.com/blog/mammals-of-south-africa/hippopotamus-hippo-fact-file
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