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Hippos

Page history last edited by AKabodian 15 years ago

Hippopotamuses

 

By: Ayanda N

 

Hippos are very unique creatures, they eat, live, and look different then other creatures. They are also semi-aquidic , which means that they can be in water and breath under water. They can also be on land while they graze.

Behavior:

Hippos usually group into packs or schools which are usually led by a older male while the rest of the pack is younger females. Challenges are usually started by a leader or another male, the fight is usually caused for a female hippos or leadership of the schools. When challenged, leaders open their mouths and show their long canine teeth; usually their opponents will back away or will fight for leadership, or for a female.

Hippos spend most of their time in the water, which helps them stay cool during the hot summer months. When hippos are under water, their ears, eyes and nose close automatically; usually hippos must rise to breath every 5 minutes.

Description :

 

They do not have hair except for the bristles on their nose, ears and tail. Their skin varies from brown to grayish purple while their bellies are pink.

Under a hippos skin they have a very thick layer of fat, which helps them keep warm while they are under water. When hippos are out of water, their skin oozes out a pink liquid. This serves as sunscreen and disinfectant.

Males grow to be up to 15 feet long. Males weigh more than females, up to 8,000 pounds.Females are slightly smaller then males. The Nile hippo stands to be 41/2 feet.

 Hippos are almost the largest land mammal, next to the Rhinoceros.

 

Location and Population :

 

Most hippos live in the East African or south of the Sahara. There are 30,000 hippos in East Africa. There are two types of hippo; the common river hippo and the phami hippo. Mothers usually give birth to one calf and their gestation period is eight months. Females usually give birth in bushes or underwater. Hippo calves are usually to 53-100 pounds at birth. Female hippos breed every two years. Crocodiles, lions or hyenas can attack hippo caves. Hundreds of hippos are shot each year as a result of population management and control policy. Sometimes hippo mothers accidentally trample their young. The lifespan of a hippo is 45 yrs or longer in captivity. Their population has declined to a 95% in recent years. The red list of threatened species has hippos under Vulnerable(which means they are very close to being on the endangered list).

 

Diet:

Diet in the wild :

Hippos consume up to or more then 88 pounds a day of aquatic plants, grasses, and fallen leaves. Since hippos usually rest in the water reduces energy and raises their food demands.

Diet in Captivity:

Each day hippos eat 7 pounds of herbivore grain pellet

  • 35 pounds of hay

  • 1.5 pounds of water.

 

Fun Facts

  • Hippos are herbivores, which means that they only eat plants. A very cool fact about hippos is that they can kill a person but they will not eat you.

  •  The scientific name for the hippopotamuses is the Hippopotamuses amphibius.

  • Hippos talk through growling but scientists can't hear them because the hippos are under water.

  • As you remember reading hippos are on the Red List. The reason hippos are on the is list is because they are hunted for their envy (canine teeth) and skin. Theyare very rare in several areas such as unsettled areas and reserves.
  • The hippo has 3 stomach chambers

 

 

 

Sources:

 

 

 

www.awf.org

 

 

 

en.wikipedia.org

 

 

 

www.sandiegozoo.com

 

 

 

www.nationalzoo.com

 

 

 

www.factmonster.com

 

 

 

animals.nationalgeographic.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (1)

Price, Brittany said

at 8:55 am on Mar 6, 2009

thanks for uploading on time. I'm just helping mr.kabodian. I like your report though.

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