Hippopotamus

The Hippopotamus is a unique, large, and truly beautiful animal let's get started. The Hippopotamus Is the third largest land mammal after elephants and rhinos. The Hippopotamus bull weighs 3, 260 pounds, Cows or Females weigh 3,009 pounds. Male Hippopotamuses have been studied and they continue to grow all their life, while Females finish growing at the age of 25. They can grow to be 9.6 feet long to 16 feet long. They are 4.7 to 5.5 feet high at the shoulder. In the wild a normal hippos lifespan is 40 to 50 years. Hippopotamuses are widely distributed across the Continent of Africa. Hippopotamuses are semi aquatic animals, they are usually found in freshwater environment, but they can be found in estuaries. Though. the Hippopotamus is a semi aquatic animal it is actually not particularly a good swimmer. The Hippopotamus cannot float or swim so Instead they go on the bottom of whatever aquatic area they're In and they bounce off the floor of the aquatic area. An Adult Hippopotamus has to surface ever 4 to 6 minutes to keep air in their lungs. The Hippopotamus is incapable of jumping like many other large mammals, but to make up for their lack of not being able jump they can run up to 19 miles an hour. The Hippopotamus can gallop or run at 5 miles per hour when in the water. The Hippopotamus feeds on vegetation growing near the water, but they will also scavenge on carrion. Hippopotamuses form pods. Pods of Hippopotamuses can reach up to 100 individuals. Female Hippopotamuses reach sexual maturity at 5 to 6 years of age while males reach it at 7.5 years of age. Female Hippopotamuses give birth to one calf at a time. male Hippopotamuses create territories in the water, but not on land. I hope you learned more about the Hippopotamus.

Hippopotamus walking on the bay of a lake.