The hippopotamus is a large mammal that is native to the African continent.It is a large and dangerous animal. There exist two species of hippos which are the common hippo, also known as the river hippo, and the significantly smaller pygmy hippos.Common hippos tend to live in social groups that range from 20-100 members while pygmy hippos tend to live more solitary lives. A group of common hippos that live together are collectively referred to as a pod, a bloat, or a siege. While these are the two categories of hippos that exist, there are several terms that are used to distinguish between the sexes of hippos. Male hippos are known as bull hippos, while female hippos are known as cow hippos. Baby hippos are called calves. The hippo is extremely loud and often the sounds it makes are as loud as that of the sounds at a rock concert! It has a large body that is shaped like a barrel. Adult hippos have a weight of between 2800-4000 lb (1270-1814.3 kg). The baby hippo barely weighs a fraction of an adult hippo as a baby weighs 100 lb (45.3 kg) after birth. Hippo calves have a gestation period of 243 days between conception and birth, nearly as much as time needed for a human baby. At the end of the gestation period, the female hippo leaves the herd to give birth to the baby, for a period of one to two weeks.Lately, hippo numbers have been seen to be dwindling due to a variety of reasons such as habitat loss in the African ecosystem as well as being hunted due to growing demand for the ivory found in a hippo’s tusk. Large movements have seen conservation projects, most prominently at the San Diego Zoo, have come forth and created a safe and nurturing habitat for hippos, proving to be a sustainable way of not only protecting this species, but providing future generations the chance to interact and see them out in their natural area. The reason why the protection of this species is because they act as ecosystem engineers. Due to their large bodies, they inadvertently create new pathways and channels for water to flow through. These new routes are filled with water during the wet season and begin housing insects, birds, and other animals. Additionally, if you are visiting the African savannah, a boat safari into hippo territory may be an equally good opportunity to take a gander at seeing hippos.Be aware that getting too near a hippo pod, you run the risk of being attacked, as the hippo does not need any provocation to attack. They are territorial animals and will look to protect members of their own species. Make no mistake, while an adult hippo or any hippo for that matter looks cute and cuddly, it is incredibly dangerous. They use their hind legs, despite being short, to run in quick bursts. Yes you heard that right, hippos run. They do so for marginal distances and this has been seen in hippo attacks.With a jaw that can open to 150 degrees, a single bite of a hippo can carry a force of 12600 Pa, certainly strong enough paired with its canine teeth to cut through a human being in a single bite. Their prowess is seen when the dominant male, who usually leads the social group made of several male hippos and female hippos, fights any hippo that dares to challenge his rank in the social hierarchy. They are virtually bulletproof with their thick skin, although it is possible for it to be pierced near the torso, where the skin in a bit thinner than the rest of its body.If you enjoy articles such as this one, continue reading these fun articles containing fascinating facts such as how long do deer live and how long do apes live on Kidadl!Can hippos breathe underwater?The hippo can indeed hold its breath underwater, and does so in a way that might astound you. It uses its ears and nostrils.When underwater, the hippo closes its nostrils and ears to not let water in. Additionally it uses a reddish oily fluid that prevents water clogging of the skin when underwater and acts as a form of sunblock for the hippo. This is also known as blood sweat, produced by special skin glands that a hippo has. While it may seem a little strange, a hippo holding its breath underwater is not unusual.This animal is closely related to a dolphin and a whale, two other mammals that breathe underwater similar to the hippopotamus. What is really strange is that the hippopotamus barely has any hair on its body. Additionally, the hippo is essentially built to live underwater. Can hippos swim? The answer to this question is baffling as they are not swimmers but live underwater.The eccentricity of this mammal is even more visible since adult hippos are not even buoyant in water, yet they have webbed feet, a characteristic seen in aquatic animals that help them to move underwater better. The hippo is classified under the category semi-aquatic. The Greeks dubbed the hippo ’the river horse’, since hippos prefer living underwater. This, however, does not mean they are not land animals.How long can a hippo hold its breath underwater?This is an interesting question as the answer depends on the age of the hippo. Young hippos can hold their breath for shorter periods, usually 40 seconds at birth, and this gradually increases as they grow older. For an adult hippo, this time is somewhere around five minutes.Now, you must be wondering how the breathing works for a hippo underwater if it can only hold its breath for five minutes. There is a process, similar to how whales and dolphins breathe underwater, and a hippo breathes in a similar way. At the end of the five minute periods when they need to inhale, the hippo surfaces, opens its nostrils and takes a breath. What is even more fascinating is that hippos are able to do this while asleep, meaning that this is a built in reflex that allows them to sleep underwater, come to the surface when they need to breathe, and go back underwater without having to wake up! This is how hippos sleep underwater without drowning.Here’s an interesting fact, the female hippo is just as comfortable giving birth underwater, as on land. The mother must quickly get the young hippo to the surface if it is born underwater as it is difficult for the baby to hold its breath underwater. Births usually occur underwater as the breeding season occurs during the drier parts of the year, so during the wet season the gestation period comes to an end and the majority of births take place underwater. Additionally, it is better for the hippo calf to be born underwater as these births are safer from attacks from other predators lurking nearby such as crocodiles and snakes.Why do hippos hold their breath underwater?The hippo is an animal that has very sensitive skin. This means that too much sunlight can prove to be detrimental to the body of a hippo.Additionally, staying out of the water for an extended period of time can lead to dehydration since hippos do not have sweat glands. Instead, they produce blood sweat that also protects them from infections. This is very crucial as hippos may be living in dirty waters and face the threat of disease occurring from bacteria that is present all around them. For a hippo, being able to breathe underwater is a matter of survival. As the sun beams down, increasing the temperature, it becomes difficult for a hippo to keep its skin cool.This is partly the reason why hippos are nocturnal animals. They spend their day trying to protect their skin from the sun and sleep in the water during the day. Later, during the evening, the hippo leaves the water to go a look for food, usually about 6 mi (9.6 km) every night. The normal diet of a hippo largely consists of patches of short grasses that grow near water bodies. Additionally, they may consume fruit to sustain themselves. A fascinating hippo fact is that while they are massive in size, they consume only 88 lb (40 kg) of food every night. That means hippos eat about 1-1.5 % of their body fat daily. In the San Diego Zoo, hippos live rather nicely and are fed a specialised diet that includes Bermuda hay.How long can a hippopotamus stay underwater when sleeping?Hippos sleep underwater for a large part of the day in an effort to protect their skin from damage from direct sunlight.Hippos generally spend about 16 hours of the day resting or sleeping in the water. Their built in reflexes that get them to surface, inhale, and go back underwater lets them breathe so without even breaking their sleep cycle. They can virtually keep sleeping underwater for however long they want with the body adaptations hippos have.Hippos are as we know it, cousins of whales, so it should not be surprising to know that like hippos, other mammals are able to sleep underwater for longer periods of time than hippos. The mammal that can do so for the longest period of time is the Cuvier’s beaked whale, with an average dive of 67 minutes, and the record breaking dive of 138 minutes! This mammal is followed by the elephant seal, and then the sperm whale.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how long can a hippo hold its breath then why not take a look at how long do eagles live, or how fast can a black bear run.
The hippopotamus is a large mammal that is native to the African continent.
