Hippos are so aquatic that females even give birth in the water! The babies, weighing 50 to pounds, surface right after birth to take their first breath. For the first year of their life, the youngsters nurse -- either under water or on land, depending on where mom is when they get hungry.
After they're weaned, calves remain with their mothers until fully grown, at about eight years of age.
Female hippos and their calves gather into groups during the day. But when they leave the water at night, groups breaks apart and each female goes off with her own calves to graze. Most males hang out in bachelor groups. Each territorial bull defends his own stretch of land along the water's edge. Along with the real estate come exclusive mating rights to all females who live in his domain. The territorial male will allow bachelor males to wander into his territory, providing they know who's boss and behave submissively.
If a bachelor male challenges the territory holder, a bloody battle can break out. Dagger-sharp canines, up to 20 inches long, can seriously injure -- or even kill -- an opponent. Hippos may not know it, but they help other animals that live in their habitat. As they walk from the water to their grazing grounds, hippos create well-worn paths.
Other animals use these paths, too. And when hippos "mow" grass, they create hippo lawns. Other animals, like gazelles, benefit from the new green shoots that grow there. When hippos return to the river, they help the fish who swim there. Given that they are territorial and notoriously aggressive towards intruders, it makes for a lethal combination. Hippopotamus has no natural predators other than lions , crocodiles , and tigers , which they defend against using their hippo-sized canines.
Hippos spend up to 16 hours a day wallowing in water or mud , keeping calm and protected from predators. They emerge at dusk to graze on short grasses, with an average adult consuming 88 pounds 40 kilograms of food each night. Hippopotamuses are gregarious and live in tight-knit communities, with males setting up a dominance hierarchy. Several females cooperate to raise their young in an aquatic environment, with newborns suckling from their mother until they are about 6 months old.
The short answer is no. Hippos can outrun humans easily when moving at a walking pace of 3 miles per hour mph , but they can achieve much greater speeds over short distances. If they were to run in a straight line, then hippos could probably reach 30 mph. And their roly-poly frames are topped by an incredible set of sharp teeth. Every year they kill about people! Male hippos can weigh up to four tons kg. A hippo can reach top speed in seconds. Usually they surprise other animals and people.
Although they are semi-aquatic animals and webbed legs, hippos are too heavy for swimming. Instead, they walk underwater. A hippo can walk 8 kilometers per hour under water 5 miles. Every few minutes it will come to the surface to breathe. Then it will sink in and walk a bit further. It is even more astonishing to learn that hippos cannot even float. They are nocturnal animals. Spending the day in the water, they are protected from the sun and stay cool. Sometimes they find shallow spots for bathing.
Other times they stay away from the sun and go up. Hippos is a cantankerous animal. They like their way of doing things. And if anyone or something is to get them, the hippo will pull them off! They can open their mouth at a degree angle and literally snap a person! The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive and unpredictable creatures in the world. Even though they are herbivores and do not typically attack humans, they charge if they are feeling scared or are trying to protect their young.
Never stand between a hippo and water.
0コメント