Fun Hippo Facts

Hey kids, how many of you have a stuffed hippo? They are not very popular are they? Hippos are the third largest animal in Africa. Only the elephant and the rhinoceroses are bigger. There are some interesting facts that you may not have known about Hippos. Did you know that Hippos spend most of the day submerged in rivers or lakes? The only part of them that is out of the water is their eyes, ears and nose. This way they can see, breathe and hear while the rest of their body is under water keeping them cool from the hot sun of Africa. They only come out of the water at night and will walk up to 5 miles to find short grasses to graze on. The word Hippopotamus comes from two Greek words meaning river horse. They even have webbed toes to help them paddle through the water. When they go all the way under water their ears, eyes and nose automatically close so no water gets in and they can actually walk along the river bottom and hold their breathe for up to 5 minutes. Hippos are 12 to 15 feet long and can weigh up to 5000 to 8000 pounds. That is as big as a pickup truck. Their two tusks in their lower jaw can grow up to a foot long. Don't worry though they only eat vegetation, grasses and water plants, but don't go near them because they do not fear humans and are considered one of Africa's most dangerous animals. Baby hippos are born under water and can swim almost from the moment they are born. They even nurse under water. Hippos can live up to 40 years old in the wild. Lions, crocodiles, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs will often kill baby hippos, but the adult hippos are rarely attacked. People used to think that hippos sweat blood but that is not true. Actually, hippos' sweat has an oily red pigment in it that makes it look like blood. Now you know some interesting facts about hippos you can have one of the first stuffed hippos in your class and tell them all about it.