The Hippopotamus

ORDER Artiodactyls          

FAMILY Hippopotamidae

MISSIONS TRIPS AFRICA

Scientific name Hippopotamus amphibius

The hippo is the third-largest living land mammal after elephants and white rhinos. Their population is increasingly dropping, due to killing farmers protecting their crops. They have four webbed toes. They have a grayish body with hairless thick skin.

Hippos live in rivers and Lakes not necessarily very deep but also where there are pools of slow moving water. Hippos are extremely aggressive and unpredictable animals and very often charge to other animals, passing boats and even Men. Hippos weigh up to 1500 Kg and have a life-span of about 50 years.

Hippos are grazers and prefer short grasses along banks of water bodies. They have social groups of about 40 with one bull and cows with their young ones. When the young bulls mature, they are usually chased away to go and establish their own territories where they fight among themselves fatal battles that may last for hours.

Hippos normally stay in their pools or sand banks during the day and leave at night to look for pasture.

There are two types of hippos, the common/river hippopotamus and the Pygmy Hippos. The common hippo weighs up to about 4,000 kg and is big in size and most commonly seen in major parks and water bodies in Kenya.

Pygmy Hippos (Coreopsis liberiensis) is much smaller 440 -600 pounds and is rarely found in the wilderness but can be found in protected areas away from hunters and other predators like the lions and hyenas.

Hippos are dangerous and destructive particularly in people's farms.

They have a gestation period of about 8 months and usually give birth away from the herd to secluded areas in the bush or in shallow water. While in water the mother helps the newborn to the surface and later teach them how swim.

Young hippos weigh about 55 -120 pounds can hardly stay under water for over half a minute but can suckle under water by taking a deep breath, closing their nostrils and ears and wrapping their tongue tightly around the teat to suck. Adults can stay submerged up to six minutes. The calf's begins to eat grass at 3 weeks of age and continue suckling until it's about a year old. Newborns can often be seen on their mothers' backs resting.

Hippo calves are often attacked by lions and hyenas when grazing and by crocodiles  and adult males when in water.

The Hippopotamus

MISSIONS TRIPS AFRICA