Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus Physical Characteristics 
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Hippopotamidae
Genus: Hippopotamus
Scientific Name: Hippopotamus amphibius
Common Name: Hippopotamus
Other Name(s): Common Hippopotamus, Water Horse
Group: Mammal
Number Of Species: 1
Location: Sub-Saharan Africa
Habitat: Lakes, rivers and wetlands
Colour: Grey, Brown, Black, Pink
Skin Type: Leather
Size (L): 2m - 5m (6.5ft - 16.5ft)
Weight: 1tonne - 4.5tonnes (2,200lbs - 9,900lbs)
Top Speed: 45kph (30mph)
Diet: Herbivore
Prey: Grasses, Grain, Flowers
Predators: Lions, Hyenas, Crocodiles
Lifestyle: Nocturnal
Group Behaviour: Herd
Lifespan: 40 - 50 years
Age Of Sexual Maturity: 6 - 14 years
Gestation Period: 240 days
Average Litter Size: 1
Name Of Young: Calf
Age Of Weaning: 18 months
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Estimated Population Size: 150,000
Biggest Threat: Hunting and habitat loss
Most Distinctive Feature: Ears, eyes and nostrils on top of the head
Fun Fact: Has pink anti-bacterial sweat
hippopotamus

Hippopotamus Classification and Evolution 
The Hippopotamus is an extensive semi-sea-going warm blooded animal that is found floundering in the waterways and lakes crosswise over sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of its appearance, the Hippopotamus is really thought to be most firmly identified with Whales as the two are thought to have had a typical progenitor that existed around 54 million years back. Otherwise called the Common Hippopotamus, it is one of two Hippo animal varieties that are found on the African mainland with the other being the lone and woodland abiding Pygmy Hippopotamus which is just found in western Africa and is presently Critically Endangered. In spite of the fact that the Common Hippopotamus stays rich and across the board all through its present range, numbers are apparently declining because of both chasing and natural surroundings misfortune.

Hippopotamus Anatomy and Appearance 
The Hippopotamus has a huge dark barrel-molded body that can make the grade regarding five meters long and gauge multiple tons, and which is held up by short and stocky legs. One of the Hippopotamus' most particular highlights is their gigantic jaws which contain two long canine teeth (tusks) which can grow up to 50 cm long and are utilized for battling. Because of the way that the Hippopotamus consumes the majority of its time on earth resting in the water, they have various phenomenal adjustments to help their semi-sea-going way of life including four webbed toes on each foot that assistance with swimming and strolling on elusive banks, and the eyes, ears and nostrils of the Hippopotamus are arranged on the highest point of its head. This implies when the Hippopotamus' body is submerged in the water, they are as yet ready to see, hear and breath while keeping cool in the hot sun.

Hippopotamus Distribution and Habitat 
Albeit truly the Hippopotamus would have once been found crosswise over Europe and Asia, today they are kept to Africa south of the Sahara Desert. The Hippopotamus is constantly discovered near water and will in general incline toward territories near fields, where they feed amid the night. Hippos are most generally found in the profound and moderate moving waterways and lakes in eastern and southern nations, with just a couple of littler and increasingly confined populaces still found in the west. The Hippopotamus is additionally an occupant of the regular wetlands where they swim through the swampy waters by day and brush on the little islands during the evening. Despite the fact that the Hippopotamus is as yet regular all through a lot of sub-Saharan Africa, their numbers have been declining with one reason being loss of their characteristic territories for the most part brought about via arrive leeway for horticulture.

Hippopotamus Behavior and Lifestyle 
The Hippopotamus goes through as long as 18 hours per day in the water to keep cool however when murkiness falls, they adventure out onto arrive and pursue well-trodden ways to their bolstering grounds, before coming back to the water in the first part of the day. The Hippopotamus is one of the biggest and most dreaded creatures in Africa as the two guys and females are known to be unimaginably forceful at focuses. The Hippopotamus will in general live in little crowds containing somewhere in the range of 10 and 20 people that are included females with their young. The group is driven by the prevailing male who will wildly watch his stretch of waterway bank from the two gatecrashers and opponent guys, compromising them by opening his gigantic mouth to uncover the half meter long tusks. On the off chance that this fizzles, the two will battle and savage wounds regularly being caused. Despite the fact that the prevailing male will enable different guys to enter his domain giving they are polite, he holds the rearing rights with the females in the crowd.

Hippopotamus Reproduction and Life Cycles 
After a development period that goes on for around eight months, the female Hippopotamus brings forth a solitary calf by and large amid the stormy season. Albeit like numerous different exercises (counting mating) the Hippopotamus frequently conceives an offspring in the water, it isn't really that exceptional for their young to be conceived ashore. The female secures her calf savagely and it rides on her back to protect it. Hippopotamus calves are completely weaned when they are year and a half old however will in general stay with their mom until they are completely developed, frequently not abandoning her until they are 7 or 8 years of age. Albeit youthful guys will turn out to be increasingly autonomous and locate their very own fix of bank to watch, females will join a group of different females and youthful however regardless of this apparently agreeable conduct, they don't appear to communicate socially and will even touch alone when they leave the water during the evening.

Hippopotamus Diet and Prey 
The Hippopotamus is a herbivorous creature implying that regardless of its gigantically long and sharp teeth, they are veggie lovers. Distinctive types of grasses are the primary wellspring of nourishment for the Hippopotamus that are discovered developing on fields generally near water. When they go onto arrive around evening time, Hippo's may venture out up to 5km amid the night to get to their nourishing grounds which they do by following ways that are set apart with waste. Strangely, the Hippopotamus doesn't utilize its substantial canines for eating at everything except rather has solid lips that are utilized to cut the grasses and cheek teeth which at that point crush them. Regardless of its vast size, the Hippopotamus just eats around 40kg of nourishment a night as it utilizes almost no vitality while skimming in the water for a large portion of the day. In zones that are near Human settlements, Hippos have additionally been known to attack crops expending basically rice plants and essentially trampling over others.

Hippopotamus Predators and Threats 
The Hippopotamus is one of the biggest well evolved creatures on the African landmass and albeit develop grown-ups are a lot harder for predators to execute, they are still preyed up by various predators all through the wetlands. Enormous felines, for example, Lions and different creatures like Hyenas and Crocodiles are the most widely recognized predators of the Hippopotamus, especially of the youthful or debilitated people. It is a result of this that females are thought to assemble in groups as bigger numbers are all the more scary to hungry carnivores. The Hippopotamus is additionally undermined by individuals not just from the loss of their regular living spaces, yet additionally from chasing. The Hippopotamus has been chased by individuals for the two its meat and its teeth which are made of ivory. Since the prohibition on exchanging Elephant ivory, the quantity of Hippos executed for their teeth has risen drastically.

Hippopotamus Interesting Facts and Features 
The Hippopotamus has a huge head which makes up around 33% of its absolute body weight, with its huge mouth having the capacity to open up to 150 degrees and uncovering its substantial tusks which can weigh up to 3kg each. Because of the manner in which that the skin of the Hippopotamus is made up, the creature can't sweat so when it comes into contact with air the skin effectively evaporates. In spite of the fact that this isn't an issue in the water, to battle this whatever is left of the time a pink, sleek substance is discharged through organs in the skin which isn't just idea to forestall sunburn yet in addition may have hostile to bacterial properties that keeps wounds clean and keep disease from the grimy water. Despite the fact that the Hippopotamus seems as though it would be ease back ashore because of its short and thickset legs, they are really ready to keep running at very exceptional speeds and are fit for achieving 30mph when running.

Hippopotamus Relationship with Humans 
The Hippopotamus can be found in a wide range of old African old stories with its name in Greek really signifying "Water Horse". In spite of this interest with the Hippopotamus, chasing of them for their meat and tusks has cleared them out from tremendous regions of their once expansive normal range and numbers keep on falling especially in specific regions because of natural surroundings misfortune. In these territories where the Hippopotamus is regularly compelled to strike trims so as to discover sustenance, they are viewed as irritations by agriculturists who fear for their business, as well as for their lives themselves. The Hippopotamus is known to be a forceful creature that is considered by numerous individuals to be among Africa's most hazardous warm blooded creatures, as assaults on individuals (especially anglers) are not incredible.

Hippopotamus Conservation Status and Life Today 
Today, the Hippopotamus is recorded by the IUCN as a creature that is Vulnerable in its common habitat be that as it may, the Hippopotamus is as yet viewed as bottomless all through a lot of its present characteristic range except for populaces in western Africa that are winding up increasingly disconnected. Despite the fact that Hippopotamus populaces are viewed as steady in various nations in the south and the east of the mainland, they are declining in numerous others and are especially compromised by keeping poaching of them for their tusks.

Comments