Common Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
Overview
They are large, water-dwelling animals with long protruding teeth, nostrils on the top of their snout, small ears and thick grey-brown skin.
Males are 4m to 5m long and weigh between 1500kg and 2000kg, whereas females measure between 3.3m and 4.2m, and weigh 1000kg to 1500kg.
- Found in
- Africa
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Hippopotamidae
- Genus
- Hippopotamus
Conservation Status
The common hippopotamus is currently listed as Vulnerable, and the population is in decline. Large areas of grassland for grazing are being lost through desertification and expanding urban/road development. Additionally, humans kill them to prevent crop damage, to sell their meat, hide and teeth ivory, or simply because they are seen as dangerous. Inbreeding is a risk where local groups have been reduced to below 50. Conversely, hippos in Colombia are rapidly increasing after escaping the ranch of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. They have no natural predators, overgraze wetlands, pollute waterways, and carry diseases local fauna is vulnerable to.
Currently, there are projects restoring habitats with hippos specifically in mind, expanding nature reserves to join other protected land pockets and connecting wetlands and rivers. Many areas populated by hippos are officially protected, but enforcing these protections can be difficult – some areas are not protected at all.
To ensure the ongoing survival of the hippo, further conservation and action is needed.
- Wild Population
- 115,000 to 130,000, in decline
- Conservation Status
- Vulnerable
Animal Facts
- The hippopotamus' closest living relatives are whales and dolphins.
- The skin of the hippopotamus is 6cm thick and secretes a red substance that acts as sunscreen.
- Hippos can open their mouths to 150º, this is called a 'hippo yawn' and is usually an aggression display.
- Hippos have very large teeth; their canines can be 50cm long.
- Hippos spend daylight hours in the water keeping cool and travel up to 5km a night to graze on land.
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Social & Reproduction
Hippos interact with each other, but do not form close groups or bonds. Mature males are semi-solitary and territorial, presiding over a stretch of river and allowing groups of females (and non-challenging males) to live there. Females will choose where to live based on the quality of the habitat, and thus there will be larger groups in better parts of the river. Hippos are known to be friendly to each other when in water, but can be aggressive towards each other when on land, especially when feeding.
Hippos breed year-round, with peaks during the rainy season. Male hippos with better territory are more likely to be successful in finding a mate, due to the increase in probability that females will select their stretch of river to live in. Males detect receptive females through smell, before following and vocalising at her until she allows him to mate with her. The two mate underwater, with the female's nostrils often being the only visible part of her above the surface.
8 months after intercourse, the female hippopotamus will give birth, underwater, to a single baby, who will swim to the surface to take its first breath. The calves stay with their mother until they are sexually mature - between 5 and 7 years old, at which point they will leave to find their own area to live away from related individuals.