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Hippopotamus Gifts

The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers and lakes where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river and groups of 5 to 30 females and young. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land.


Hippos

Hippos are semi-aquatic mammals found in southern Africa.

Hippo Classification:

Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Hippopotamidae
Genus: Hippopotamus
Species: Amphibius

Other Names: Common Hippopotamus, Water Horse

Hippo in Foreign Languages:

Afrikaans: seekoei
Arabic: fáras al-nahr / HiSaan al-baHr
Armenian: getaji
Azeri: begemot
Basque: hipopotamo
Belarusian: behemót
Bosnian: nilski konj
Bulgarian: hipopotam
Catalan: hipopòtam
Chinese: héma
Czech: hroch
Danish: flodhest
Dutch: nijlpaard
Estonian: jõehobu
Finnish: virtahepo
French: hippopotame
Georgian: hipopotami
German: Flusspferd / Nilpferd
Greek: hippopotamos / ippopotamos
Greenlandic: imermiutarsuaq
Hungarian: víziló
Icelandic: flóðhestur
Italian: ippopotamo
Japanese: kaba
Korean: hama
Latin: hippopotamus
Latvian: begemots / hipopotams / nilzirgs Lithuanian: hipopotamas / begemotas
Macedonian: nílski konj
Malay: badak air
Navajo: tééhooltsódii
Norwegian: Bokmål: flodhest
Nynorsk: flodhest
Polish: hipopotam
Portuguese: hipopótamo
Romanian: hipopotam
Russian: gippopotám / begemót
Serbian: povodni konj / nilski konj
Slovakian: hroch
Slovenian: povodni konj / nilski konj
Somali: jeer
Spanish: hipopótamo
Swahili: kiboko
Swedish: flodhäst
Tamil: nIrAnai
Turkish: su aygiri
Ukrainian: hipopotám / behemót
Welsh: afonfarch / hipopotamws
Zulu: ingexe


Hippo

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Estimated Numbers: 125,000 to 150,000





Size: Hippos are 13 feet long and are approximately 5 feet tall. Hippos weigh up to 31/2 tons. The hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal.

Habitat: Hippopotamus are found in sub-Saharan Africa. Hippos are semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps.

Description: Hippos have large teeth and tusks. Hippopotamus have a barrel-shaped torso, and nearly hairless body, with stubby legs.

Diet: Hippos are herbivores, the hippopotamus feeds on plants including, soft short grass, and fruits that have fallen. An adult hippo eats approximately 150 lbs of vegetation (grasses) a day.

Behavior: They may become dangerous if they feel challenged or threatened. Hippos wallow in the mud, to keep their body temperatures cool.

Communication: Hippos communicate to others in their group, through grunts and bellows.

Did You Know?

The word Hippopotamus is Greek for river horse.

Gestation: Hippos carry their young for approximately 240 days.

Birth: Hippos both reproduce and give birth in the water. Hippos give birth to a single calf at a time. Hippo calves are born weighing 55-120 lbs.

Sexually Mature: Female hippos sexually mature at 5-6 years of age, males reach sexual maturity at around 7.5 years.

Life Span: Hippos have an average life span of 50 years. Lions and crocodiles are predators of hippootamus.

Did You Know?

Young hippos can only stay under water for about half a minute, but adults can stay submerged up to six minutes.

Social Structure: Male hippo bulls preside over groups of 5 to 30 females and their young, they are territorial in the water but not on land. A group of hippos is referred to as a pod, herd, dale, or bloat.

Hippo Gifts

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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