Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

scientific name

Hippopotamus amphibius

size/weight/height

Height: 4.5'
Weight: 3000 - 7000 lbs.
Length: 11'
second largest land mammal

adaptations/coloration

Color: skin gray-brown • upperparts blue-black • underparts pink
Glands: in skin • exude thick red oil ("sweats blood") • shields sunburn & protects skin
Hearing/Sight/Smell: excellent
Hair: fine; hair covers body
Physical: eyes/ears/nostrils on top head
Swim: submerge 3 - 5 min • prevents skin dehydration

behavior

Movement: can move very fast; active on land 5 - 6 hours nightly when grazing; daytime in water for predator avoidance and temperature regulation
Group: females with young • adult males compete for territories containing groups of females & young via ritualized confrontations (last 1.5 hrs. • sometimes lethal)

reproduction/lifespan

Lifespan: 35 - 45 yrs
Mating: dry season
Birth: in shallow water • sometimes underwater
Young: reported to swim before walking
Parenting: nurse underwater • mother very protective • baby lies across mother’s back in deep water

diet

Wild: grass
Zoo: apples, carrots, grain, timothy hay & lettuce

habitat/range

waterways (day) • short grasslands (night) • Africa

status

CITES App II • due to poaching (meat, fat, hide & ivory) & human encroachment • common in captivity • breed readily - many captive females are on birth control

note

exhibit has 2 inside stalls, each with its own 6000-gal pool • 50,000-gal exhibit pool outside