Hippopotamus

=​ Hippopotamus =

Hippopotamus in the water (above)
 * Scientific name:** //Hippopotamus amphibius//
 * **Genus:** || //Hippopotamus// ||
 * **Family:** || Hippopotamidae ||
 * **Order:** || Artiodactyla ||
 * **Class:** || Mammalia ||
 * **Phylum:** || Chordata ||
 * **Kingdom:** || Animalia ||
 * ====== Hippopotamus (right )====== || [[image:sdaf.jpg]] ||

Ecology
The hippopotamus, or hippo, is one of the biggest land mammals on earth ranking third right before the elephant and white rhinoceros. An adult hippo usually has no predators, besides man, but a baby hippo is sometimes captured by lions or crocodiles. As a consumer, this herbivore's main diet consists of grass which they graze on at night. An adult hippo eats more than 150 pounds of grass each night and spend up to five hours grazing. They have a commensal relationship with the other organisms around it, such as birds fishing off their backs when they're in the water. Sometimes they also have a mutual relationship with birds also for when a hippo has a wound. The bird would eat any bugs that would try to crawl into the hippo's wounds and the hippo is protected from any infections. The large hippo lives in East Africa, and are found living by lakes or slow-moving rivers. The biome that they usually live in are the grasslands or savannas. media type="youtube" key="pJdiyPOLaT0" height="385" width="640"

A hippopotamus has a plump and bulky body set on four short, stubby legs. Each leg has four toes that are webbed together. These webbed toes splay out to distribute its weight evenly and adequately support it on land. Its eyes, ears, and nostrils are all placed on top of their head so they can submerge the rest of their body in the water. They are almost completely hairless with only a couple of bristles around its mouth and tail. The adult male, also called bulls, can weigh from 3,300 to 4,000 lbs. They can be about 13 feet from head to tail and 5 feet up to the shoulder. An adult female weighs, also called cows, from 2,900 to 3,300 lbs. A newborn calf can weigh from 55 to 120 lbs. They have thick gray skin, which can weigh half a ton itself. They have a paddle-like tail to spread excrement to mark their territory and indicates status of the individual. They also have razor sharp tusks at the corner of their jaws, which are hidden by their lips. Hippos are surprisingly agile and are good climbers to get past steep banks to reach grazing areas at night. Since they do not have sweat glands, they usually keep cool by staying underwater and in mud. If not in the water or mud, they can secrete a red fluid which acts as a sunscreen called blood sweat.

Hippopotamuses reproduce sexually. The dominant bull of the herd can mate with all the cows but would sometimes allow the other bulls around to mate also. Mating between a bull and a cow occurs underwater, where the cow is usually submerged and only comes up to take a breath of air. The birth of a calf also sometimes occurs underwater where the calf would have to swim to the surface to take their first breath. Hippos usually live an average of 40 years. They are known to be K strategists and usually only have one calf a year with the exception of twins. The cow usually has its first calf after 10 years of age. Female hippos can begin puberty after 3 or 4 years, while a male hippo matures after 7 and a half years.

Facts

 * A hippopotamus was one of the first animals brought in to fight gladiators in Rome.
 * Their name means water horse in Greek, but they are more related to pigs than horses.
 * They can easily outrun a human, getting up to 14 miles per hour.
 * They can store up to two days' worth of food in their stomachs and can go up to three weeks without eating.
 * They are one of the noisiest animals in Africa. Their vocalizations have been measured up at 15 decibels, which is equivalent to being 15 feet away from the speakers at a rock concert.
 * Aside from being one of the noisiest, they are also know to be the most aggressive land animal in Africa. They are highly dangerous and very unpredictable.
 * They are known to attack humans and boats.
 * Despite being in the water most of their lives, hippos aren't very good swimmers. They actually just walk or run around the bottom of river or lake.
 * They can hold their breath for up to six minutes, but if pressured, they can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes.
 * Their sense are so keen that they are alert to their surroundings while submerged underwater.

[][] [][]