Animal	Common Hippopotamus
Scientific Name	Hippopotamus amphibious
Type	Mammals
Diet	Herbivore
Lifespan	40 years
Size	3.3 – 5.2 m length
Weight	1360.7 – 3628.7 kg
Domain	Eukaryota
Phylum	Chordata
Conservation status	Least concern > Near threatened > Vulnerable > Endangered > Critically endangered > Extinct in the wild > Extinct

Hippos may look friendly, but they are one of Africa’s most deadly mammals. They kill 500 people a year in Africa.

Hippo groups are led by a large male. The rest of the group consists of young adult males, females, and their calves. The large male controls the mating territory by fending off opponents. Staying submerged in the water keeps hippos chill in the hot area it lives in.

These giant mammals spend 16 hours a day in the water. It’s at dusk where they leave the water and wander up to 8 kilometers in search of grass to eat. They can 68 kilograms at once. Hippos can run at speed of 48 kilometers an hour in short bursts.

Hippos are excellent swimmers. The nose, eyes, and ears are at the top of its head so they stick out of the water while the rest of the body and head are submerged. This allows hippos to breath, hear, and see. When hippos go fully under water, the nose and ears automatically close so tight so that water can’t get in. They can walk on the bottom of rivers and lakes. They can hold their breath for five minutes.

Hippos have calves one time for every two years. Newborn hippos weigh 45.3 kilograms at birth. The mom and the baby soon join groups providing protection against predators: lions, hyenas, and crocodiles.

You can find this animal in the Sub-Saharan Africa where it’s hot. When hippos gather tightly together during the hot season, tempers begin rising.

Read more about hippos on Hippopedia