Introduction to Hippopotamuses

The Hippo, short for Hippopotamus, is a very unique looking creature. The name of these animals comes from the Greek language and means River Horse. They were very impressed about the size of these creatures as well as their ability to live in murky waters. They have a very large body that looks like a barrel. They also have very large teeth and mouths. It seems strange that such short and stubby legs can carry such a large creature around.

It is very large and often stays to itself. The males are larger than the females. Size often depends on location too. They can range from 1 ½ tons to 3 tons though so they are extremely heavy regardless of which end they fall into.

However, it can also be extremely aggressive so you want to keep your distance. Other names already know that this is a risky animal to irritate. Humans need to be well aware of that fact, especially when they are in the wild where these animals live. The live in groups that can have as many as thirty members in it.

What is very interesting is that in the water Hippos are extremely territorial with each other. They will go to great lengths in order to defect their location. However, they go to the land at night to hunt for food. Once on land they don’t have any issues about how roams where. There is no conflict about the land belonging to any of them.

Today there are only two species of Hippos left in the world. They are the Common Hippo and the Pygmy Hippo. Almost all of them that live in the wild are found in Africa. Due to the rare nature of these animals and the attraction humans have for them, they are often a prime attraction at zoos around the world. There they may seem simple and quiet but don’t underestimate them.

They do need lots of space as they are the second largest land animal in the world. Only the elephant ranks above them. When these animals are placed in a zoo setting they need to have water to swim in as well as land to walk around on. It can be very expensive to house them.