Community Magazine December 2013

76 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE The Hippopotamus Despite the hippopotamus’s innocent-looking appearance, it is one of the most dangerous of all mammals. It is considered to be one of the most feared animals in Africa (as well as one of the largest), as both males and females are known to be incredibly aggressive. T he hippo has an enormous, gray, barrel-shaped body that can measure up to fifteen feet in length. A full-grown male hippo can weigh up to 7,000 pounds, while a full-grown female hippo can weigh up to 4,000 pounds. Even though the hippo looks like it would be slow on land due to its size and its short and stubby legs, it is actually capable of running at quite remarkable speeds – up to 30 mph! The hippo has a huge head, which makes up around a third of its total body weight. Its vast mouth can open up to 150 degrees, revealing the hippo’s enormous jaws, one of its most distinctive features, and the two long canine teeth (tusks) contained within them. These tusks can grow to be up to twenty inches long and are used mainly for defense or fighting with other hippos. The hippo tends to live in small herds containing between ten and thirty animals. They have been seen, however, in groups as large as two hundred animals. The herd will usually live beside a river, where the territory can stretch for approximately 250 miles. The herd is led by the dominant male, who will fiercely guard its stretch of the river bank from both intruders and rival males, threatening them by opening its mouth to expose its impressive tusks. It may also yawn, scoop water with its mouth, shake its head, rear up, roar, grunt, and make a loud wheezing sound, all of which are threat displays. If this fails, it will fight its enemy, and deadly injuries will often occur. Lions, crocodiles, and hyenas are the most common predators of the hippo. However, due to its size and strength, an adult hippo is very difficult for predators to kill and is rarely attacked. Instead, predators will often prey on a sick hippo or on a baby hippo. Female hippos and their young congregate in large groups in order to intimidate and ward off their predators.