At first glance you would be excused for thinking hippos are not too exciting. The lazy animals don’t inspire the world upon the first view but hold on, with a name like ‘Hippopotamus’ there is clearly more to this animal than meets the eye. Read on for five incredible facts.
Water lovers
Hippos are not graceful swimmers but they spend on average 16 hours a day in the water. This is to keep their skin moist and their body cool. The word hippopotamus actually means ‘water horse’. While hippos are not really like horses at all they got the water part right!
Not so friendly
The big hippo can almost appear like he just needs a good cuddle. Take it from us, do not try to cuddle a hippo. Hippos are actually quite aggressive animals, even towards humans. They have large teeth and a big mass that they are not afraid to use. Young hippos have been known to be crushed on occasion if they got in the way of two hippos having an argument.
Not just a board game
The name ‘hungry hungry hippos’ is accurate as the animal will eat up to 35kg of grass in one night. Their large size means they need a lot of food to keep going but also means they can store a lot of extra energy. If they have to, hippos can go up to 20 days without eating.
Too loud for your garden
If you were considering a hippo as a potential pet, think again (as if the previous three facts were not reason enough). Hippos are incredibly loud with their groans measuring over 100 decibels. This is roughly the same as being 10 to 20 feet away from the front of a concert.
Drug dealer pets
Pablo Escobar though that a hippo pet was a cool idea. He had four on his estate. When he was captured the hippos made their way to the Colombian waterways. There they multiplied and today it is estimated there are around 40 Escobar hippos parading around Colombia. Watch out.
While hippos are clearly not a great pet, they are a very interesting animal. Next time you are at the zoo. Don’t skip the hippo section.
