Hippopotamus

The Hippopotamus

Identity & Taxonomy

KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Artiodactyla
FAMILY: Hippopotamidae
GENUS: Hippopotamus
SPECIES: H. amphibius
BINOMIAL NAME: Hippopotamus amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758)

Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus or hippo, lives in the hot part of Africa. It is a mammal. That is, its babies are born alive, and they drink milk from the mother’s body. The hippopotamus is a large animal. It weighs four tons. Its stomach is seven meters long, and it eats only plants. It is a mammal, but it spends a lot of time in the water.

During the day, it sleeps beside a river or a lake. Sometimes it wakes up. Then it goes under the water to get some plants for food. It can close its nose and stay under water for ten minutes. Its ears, eyes, and nose are high up on its head. It can stay with its body under the water and only its ears, eyes, and nose above the water. Then it can breathe the air.

At night, the hippo walks on the land and looks for food. It never goes very far from the water. A baby hippo often stands on its mother’s back. The mother looks for food underwater. The baby rides on her back above the water.

Hippopotamus

At a glance, The Hippopotamus:

• SIZE: The average hippopotamus will stand between 52 and 70 inches tall.
• WEIGHT: A male hippopotamus will average between 3,530 and 7,040 pounds. Females are smaller, weighing between 1,440 and 5,160 pounds.
• FOOD HABITS: The hippopotamus is a herbivore, eating only fruits, vegetables, leaves, and grasses.
• HABITAT: The preferred habitat of this species is deep water with adjacent reed beds and grasslands.