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Hippopotamus amphibius Region: Africa south of the Sahara Desert, mainly in the east and south; they are rare in some parts of their range and extremely numerous in others. |
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Massive with a capital "M" Number two More than almost any other mammal, the common hippopotamus ("hippo" for short) is associated with sheer bulk. Despite a rather low, squat body compared to other pachyderms, a big male hippo can weigh 7,000 pounds (but usually top out at around 5,000). That makes hippos the second heaviest land animals in the world, after elephants. Their mouths are disproportionately huge, making up almost a third of the body and their head alone can weigh 1,000 pounds! Hippos can open their mouths three times as wide as humans can, and inside are four sharp tusks, each up to a foot long. Oh, and what exactly is a pachyderm? They are large hoofed mammals with thick-skin ("pachyderm" means "thick-skinned")---members of the pachyderm party are hippos, elephants, and rhinos. Not only the Nile Once called Nile hippos, their name was changed because they do not just live in the Nile River. They are widely distributed in sub-Saharan water systems of eastern and southern Africa. They are only rarely found in the forest like their smaller relatives, pygmy hippos. Instead, common hippos prefer the rivers, lakes, and muddy wallows of the savannah. Since their diet is almost entirely made up of different kinds of grass, a savannah near water is vital to hippos' survival. River horse? "Hippopotamus" translates into "river horse," the name given to hippos by the ancient Greeks. Although the "horse" part is a bit of a stretch, they were right about linking these great animals to water. And with the longest river in the world as its modern namesake (they are sometimes called "Nile Hippos"), you would expect these hippos to live in water. In fact, they spend almost all the daylight hours submerged, coming on to land to feed on grass at night. Most activities happen in water---sleeping, fighting, mating, and even births if the level is shallow enough. With nostrils that can close and great lung capacity, hippos can walk along the river bottom for up to five minutes without surfacing. And despite their great weight, hippos are good swimmers. Tied to the water Hippos stay in the water most of the time because they have to. Even during droughts, when lakes are almost dry, you will see hundreds of hippos crammed together in the mud. Only when the mud is baked dry by the sun will the hippos seek out another water source. Why such a dependence on water? The reason seems to be in the hippos’ unusual skin, which does not have sweat glands and loses water to the air at a great rate. In addition to coming to land mainly at night, hippos have a unique way of helping keep their sun-sensitive skin moist. They secrete a pinkish liquid that dries and prevents sunburn. It is this trait that led early circus barkers to advertise them as strange creatures that "sweat blood." Mouthing off As with all social animals, communication is vital to maintaining the group. The hippo’s big mouth plays an important role in its social behavior. When an intruding hippo enters a territory, the resident male meets the threat with an incredible open-mouth display that shows off his dangerous tusks. Usually that is enough to deter an invader, but fights are common. Battles can be fierce and sometimes deadly---males bash each other with their powerful heads and slashing tusks until the loser relents. They also have a unique way of marking their territories---they scatter feces in a wide swath by wagging their tail rapidly back and forth. Just the facts Body length: 9.5 to 11 feet (2.9 to 3.4 meters) Height: 4.5 to 5.5 feet (1.3 to 1.7 meters) Tail length: 15 to 22 inches (38.1 to 55.9 centimeters) Weight: Males 5,000 to 7,000 pounds (2,300 to 3,200 kilograms) Females: 2,000 to 4,000 pounds (900 to 1,800 kilograms) Distribution: Africa south of the Sahara Desert, mainly in the east and south; they are rare in some parts of their range and extremely numerous in others. Habitat: Permanent bodies of water; mainly rivers, but also lakes and muddy wallows near reed beds and grasslands Wild diet: Mostly grass, but also fruit and other vegetation BZ diet: Alfalfa hay, alfalfa grain pellets, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, oranges, and bread Hippos at Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo has two common hippos, a male and a female. You can see them inside Pachyderm House when the weather is cold. In warm climes they’ll be outside in their spacious newly-refurbished yard, which features a large pool. There are some new elevated platforms so you’ll get a great view. If you don’t see them, watch the surface of the water---their eyes, ears, and nostrils will be the first thing you see as they rise from the depths.  Links |