Hippopotamus

I loved to see the hippos and elephants at the zoo. It was just one of those attractions we always had to go see. Some of my friends have traveled to Africa on mission trips and have seen the amazing animals in the real. The Hippopotamus is a large herbivorous mammal in Sub-Saharan Africa. The name of these great animals comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse" The hippo is the third largest type of land mammal and the heaviest Believe it or not hippos are related to the cetaceans family which includes whales, porpoises. The family of hippos has been tracked back to 16 million years ago. 

The barrel shaped torso, wide opening mouths revealing canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, columnar like legs are all descriptions of hippos. The average adult hippo weights 1,500 kg or 3,300 lbs. for a male and a female weights around 2,900 lbs. The stocky shape does not slow the hippo down as they can run up to 19 mph over short distances. They are highly aggressive and unpredictable animal and is ranked among the most dangerous animals in Africa. Hippos face danger in habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth. 

Hippopotamus are semi-aquatic and often are found in rivers, lakes and swamps. Normally you will find a territorial bull presiding over 5 to 30 females and young in a stretch of the river. The large animal stays cool by staying in the water or mud. Hippos reproduce and give birth in water as well. The animals will come out of water and graze on grasses and spread out when they are on land.