Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibian, also known as the hippo or water horse, is an amphibious African ungulate animal. The hippopotamus mammal species is often regarded as the second-largest land mammal (after the elephant), with size and weight equivalent to the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) and the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). The Greek word hippopotamus means "river horse," and the animal has been recognised since antiquity. Hippopotamuses are frequently observed basking on the banks of rivers, lakes, and swamps near grasslands, or sleeping in the water. They are safe from most predators because of their large size and aquatic habits, save humans, who have long prized their skin, flesh, and ivory, and have despised them for destroying crops. Hippopotamuses animal (or "hippos") formerly roamed the whole continent and beyond, but today only reside in eastern, central, and southern Africa. There are two types of hippopotamus the large/common hippopotamus and the smaller relative, the pygmy hippo.

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Hippopotamus Mammal

Hippopotamus amphibian, commonly known as the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal and ungulate endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of just two living species in the Hippopotamidae family, with the pygmy hippopotamus being the other (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). The name is derived from the ancient Greek word o, which means "river horse. The hippopotamus is the third-largest land animal after elephants and rhinoceros, and the biggest surviving artiodactyl (in the traditional, non-cladistic sense of the term, not including cetaceans). Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other even-toed ungulates on earth, the Hippopotamidae's closest extant relatives are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, and so on), from whom they split around 55 million years ago. 

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Hippos have barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths displaying enormous canine tusks, almost hairless bodies, columnar legs, and massive stature; males average 1,500 kg (3,310 lb) while females average 1,300 kg (2,870 lb). It can run at 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances despite its stocky body and short legs. Hippos inhabit rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps, where territorial males rule over groups of five to thirty females and young hippos.

They stay cool throughout the day by remaining in the water or mud; reproduction and birthing both take place in water. They come out to feed on grasslands at dusk. While hippos socialise in the water, grazing is a solitary pastime for them, and they are not territorial on land. Because of its very violent and unpredictable temperament, the hippo is one of the most deadly creatures on the planet. Poaching for their flesh and ivory canine teeth has put them in danger because of habitat loss and poaching.

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Evolution

Naturalists grouped hippos with pigs until 1909, based on molar characteristics. Cetaceans are their closest living relatives, according to many lines of evidence, including blood proteins, molecular systematics, DNA, and the fossil record (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). Ruminantia and the rest of the even-toed ungulates broke off from the shared ancestor of hippos and whales; the cetacean and hippo lineages split soon after. According to the most recent theory of Hippopotamidae evolution, hippos and whales had a semiaquatic ancestor that split from other artiodactyls around 60 million years ago.

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Around 54 million years ago, this hypothetical ancestral group divided into two branches. One branch would develop into cetaceans, possibly starting around 52 million years ago with the protowhale Pakicetus and other early whale ancestors known as Archaeoceti, which subsequently underwent aquatic adaption to be fully aquatic cetaceans. The anthracotheres, a vast family of four-legged beasts, evolved from the late Eocene anthracotheres, which resembled slender hippos with comparatively tiny and narrow heads.

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Except for the branch that developed into the Hippopotamidae, all branches of the anthracotheres died out during the Pliocene without leaving any offspring. From the Eocene and Oligocene species Anthracotherium and Elomeryx through the Miocene species Merycopotamus and Libycosaurus and the very last anthracotheres in the Pliocene, a broad evolutionary lineage can be followed.

Physical Attributes

Hippos are only smaller than elephants and certain rhinoceroses, making them among the biggest extant terrestrial animals. They are smaller than the white rhinoceros but bigger by body mass than the black rhinoceros and the giraffe among the extant African megafauna, second only to the two African elephant species. Hippos range in length from 2.90 to 5.05 m (9.5 to 16.6 ft), with a tail length of 35 to 56 cm (1.15 to 1.84 ft) and a shoulder height of 1.30 to 1.65 m (4.3 to 5.4 ft). Males can weigh up to 2,000 kg (4,410 lb), and exceptional males weighing 2,660 kg (5,860 lb), 3,200 kg (7,050 lb), and 4,500 kg (9,920 lb) (in captivity) have been observed.

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Male hippos tend to develop throughout their lives, but female hippos achieve their maximum weight at the age of 25. Hippos have short legs and long muzzles, and their bodies are barrel-shaped. Their skeletal systems have been graviportal adapted to support their massive weight, and their particular gravity helps them to sink and move along the river. Hippopotamuses animal have small legs (about another megafauna) because they dwell in water, which decreases their weight. Hippos may run at speeds of up to 30 km/h (19 mph) on land, but they usually trot. They are unable to jump, yet they can climb steep banks. An adult hippo, while being semiaquatic and possessing webbed feet, is not a very excellent swimmer or floater. It is seldom seen in deep water, and when it is, it moves by leaping from the bottom like a porpoise. Hippos have high-set eyes, ears, and nostrils on the roof of their heads.

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The males' testes only descend partially, and that there is no scrotum. When the penis is not erect, it retracts into the body. The female hippos' genitals are unusual in that the vagina is ridged and the vulval vestibule has two large diverticula. These have no known function.

Distribution and Status

Until around 30,000 years ago, Hippopotamus amphibius was common in North Africa and Europe during the Eemian and late Pleistocene periods. Its presence in the Levant is confirmed by archaeological evidence dating back fewer than 3,000 years. During antiquity, the species was abundant in Egypt's Nile area, but it has since become extinct. Pliny the Elder claims that the greatest site in Egypt for catching this species at the time was in the Saite nome and that after the Arab Conquest in 639, the animal could still be found near the Damietta branch. At the close of the 19th century, there were reports of the last hippo was killed in Natal Province. Hippos can still be found in the rivers and lakes of northern DRC, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, as well as northern Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, west to The Gambia, and south to South Africa. 

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Hippopotamus Diet and Habitat

The hippopotamuses animal is a herbivorous mammal, which means it is a vegetarian despite its enormously large and strong teeth. Hippopotamuses that live on plains near water eat a variety of grasses as their main source of nutrition. When they come onto land at night, Hippopotamuses can travel up to 5 kilometres to reach their feeding grounds, which they accomplish by following excrement trails. 

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The Hippopotamus, strangely enough, does not utilise its big canines for eating, instead of depending on strong lips to cut grasses and cheek teeth to grind them up. Despite its massive size, the Hippopotamus only eats about 40 kg of food every night because it spends much of its time floating in the water. Hippos have been known to attack crops in areas near to human populations, namely rice plants, and simply trampling over others.

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Hippopotamus Reproduction and Life Cycles

Female hippos reach sexual maturity at the age of five to six years and have an eight-month gestation period. Female hippos can start puberty as early as three or four years young, as per a study of their endocrine systems. Males attain sexual maturity at the age of 7.5 years. Peak conceptions occurred near the end of the wet season in the summer, and peak births occurred toward the beginning of the wet season in late winter, according to a study on hippo reproductive behaviour in Uganda. This is due to the female's oestrous cycle; male hippo spermatozoa, like those of most big mammals, are active all year. A female hippo will typically not ovulate again for 17 months after becoming pregnant.

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Mating occurs in the water, with the female submerged for most of the encounter, her head appearing only to take a breath. Female hippos go into seclusion to give birth and then return after 10–14 days. [34] Calves are born underwater and must swim to the surface to take their first breaths, weighing between 25 and 50 kg (55 and 110 lb) and measuring approximately 127 cm (4.17 ft) in length. A mother usually has only one calf, however, twins are very unusual. When the water is too deep for them, the young often rest on their mothers' backs and swim underwater to suckle. When the mother exits the water, the nurse on land. Hippos' mothers are very protective of their offspring and may keep others at bay. Calves are sometimes left in nurseries, which are supervised by one or more humans. Playfights between calves in nurseries are common. Weaning begins six to eight months after birth, and most calves are completely weaned within a year. Hippos, like many other big mammals, are classified as K-strategists, producing just one large, well-developed baby per a couple of years.

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Behaviour and Life History

Hippos are unusual amongst big land mammals in that they are semiaquatic and spend their days in lakes and rivers. They live in both savannah and woodland environments. Enough water to immerse in and grass nearby is required for proper habitat. Larger concentrations of animals live in calmer seas with generally solid, sloping beaches. Male hippos can be found in small numbers in steep gorges with fast streams. Hippos prefer freshwater environments, however, populations in West Africa prefer estuary areas and can even be found at sea. The bulk of a hippo's life occurs in the water.

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Hippos leave the water at dusk and move up to 15 kilometres (9 miles) inland to feed on short grasses, which are their primary source of nourishment. They graze for four to five hours each night and can ingest up to 68 kg (150 lb) of grass.

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Hippos, like other herbivores, eat other plants when given the opportunity, but their natural diet consists nearly exclusively of grass, with relatively minor consumption of water plants. Hippos have sterile intestines at birth and must rely on germs from their mothers' waste to digest vegetation. Hippos were seen eating carrion on occasion, usually near water. There were also reports of consumption of meat, as well as cannibalism and predation. Hippo stomach architecture is not suited to carnivory, therefore meat-eating is most likely the result of abnormal behaviour or nutritional stress. 

Hippopotamus Predators and Threats

The hippopotamus is one of Africa's largest animals, and while mature individuals are more difficult to kill, they are nevertheless preyed upon by a range of predators throughout the wetlands. Big cats like Lions, as well as other creatures like Hyenas and Crocodiles, are the most common predators of Hippopotamuses, especially the young and ill. Females are thought to cluster in herds as a result of this, as bigger numbers are more intimidating to hungry predators. People are also threatening the Hippopotamus, not only by ruining their natural habitats but also by hunting animals. People had hunted the Hippopotamus for both its meat and ivory teeth. The number of hippos killed for their teeth has increased dramatically since the ivory trade ban was introduced.

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Hippopotamus Interesting Facts and Features

The Hippopotamus has a huge head which accounts for almost a third of its entire body weight, with a mouth that can open up to 150 degrees and display its massive tusks that may weigh up to 3 kilogrammes each. The Hippopotamus' skin is made up in such a way that it cannot sweat, thus when it comes into touch with air, it quickly dries out. Although this is not a problem in the water, a pink, oily substance is secreted through glands in the skin to combat this the rest of the time, which is thought to not only prevent sunburn but may also have anti-bacterial properties, which helps to keep wounds clean and prevent infection from the dirty water. Even though the Hippopotamus seems to be slow on land due to its small and stubby legs, it can sprint at incredible speeds, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

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Hippopotamus Relationship with Humans

The Hippopotamus, which name means "Water Horse" in Greek, can be found in many types of old African mythology. Despite this interest with the Hippopotamus, hunting for their flesh and tusks has wiped them out from wide swaths of their formerly enormous natural range, and their numbers continue to decline, especially in certain regions owing to habitat degradation. Farmers in these places, where the Hippopotamus is frequently compelled to attack fields for sustenance, see them as pests, fearing not only for their livelihood but also for their lives.

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Conclusion

Hippopotamus amphibian, also known as the hippo or water horse, is an amphibious African ungulate animal. Hippopotamuses are often observed basking on the banks of rivers, lakes, and swamps near grasslands. They are safe from most predators because of their large size and aquatic habits. Naturalists grouped hippos with pigs until 1909, based on molar characteristics. Cetaceans are their closest living relatives, according to blood proteins, molecular systematics, DNA, and the fossil record (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) The anthracotheres, a vast family of four-legged beasts, died out during the Pliocene. Hippos are smaller than the white rhinoceros but bigger by body mass than the giraffe and the elephant. They range in length from 2.90 to 5.05 m (9.5 to 16.6 ft), with a tail length of 35 to 56 cm (1.15 to 1.84 ft) Hippopotamuses are herbivorous and eat grasses as their main source of nutrition.