HIPPOPOTAMUS IN AFRICA: Facts you Don’t Know About Hippo

Hippopotamus in Africa: There are two species of Hippos, the large hippo and the smaller relative (pygmy hippo). Hippos are the third-largest living land mammal, after Elephants and white Rhinos. Their feet have Four-Webbed toes that splay out to distribute weight evenly and therefore adequately support them on land, and their short legs provide powerful propulsion through the water.

The outer layers of skin are quite thin, making them prone to wounds from fighting. Their Flat, paddle-like tail is used to spread excrement, which marks territory borders and indicates status of an individual. Their powerful jaws are capable of opening up to 150 degrees revealing their Enormous incisors.

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION OF HIPPOPOTAMUS IN AFRICA.

WEIGHT OF HIPPOS.

• COMMON HIPPO: 1.4 TO 5 TONS;
• PYGMY HIPPO: 160 TO 275 KILOGRAMS (352-606 POUNDS).

SIZE OF HIPPO.

• COMMON HIPPO: 2 TO 5 METERS IN LENGTH (6 TO 16.5 FEET) AND STAND ABOUT 1.5 METERS TALL (5 FEET);
• PYGMY HIPPO: 1.5 TO 1.75 METERS IN LENGTH (ABOUT 5 FEET) AND STAND ABOUT 1 METER TALL (3 FEET).

GESTATION OF HIPPOPOTAMUS.

• COMMON HIPPO: AVERAGE 10 MONTHS;
• PYGMY HIPPO: AVERAGE 6.5 MONTHS.

Challenges Facing Hippos populations.

1. They are threatened by hunting.

It is more likely that the popularity of their meat is the reason for this strategy. Their fat and ivory tusks are also valuable to humans. At the beginning of the 21st century, the population of the common hippo declined more than 95% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In 2002, about 5.5 Tons of hippo Teeth were exported from Uganda, which equates to an estimated 2,000 Individual animals. Hippopotamus teeth have been excluded from many of the strengthened ivory bans now spreading across the world making this vulnerable species at an increased Risk from Ivory poachers.

2. Humans are pushing hippos out of their habitats.

The primary threats to both hippopotamus species are habitat loss and Deforestation. As human populations grow, they encroach on wildlife habitats as they build new settlements, increase agricultural production, and construct new roads. The hippopotamus once ranged from the Nile Delta to the Cape, but now is mostly confined to protected areas.

Solutions to Challenges Facing Hippopotamus populations.

Our solutions to conserving the hippopotamus:

• Engage Communities.

African Wildlife Foundation helps communities build enclosures, fences, and construct ditches to protect agriculture and farmland from grazing hippos, thereby minimizing human-wildlife conflict.

• Create Protected Spaces for Hippos.

We Should strengthen and protect the hippo’s habitat by providing funding and improving infrastructures of parks. Such as the Lower Zambezi National Park. Located along the Zambezi River. Lower Zambezi National Park is a critical habitat for hippos, Elephants, African wild dogs, cheetahs, and more.

Behaviors of African Hippopotamus.

• Unlike Human, the hippopotamus does not have sweat or sebaceous glands.

Both species rely on water or mud to keep cool. This accounts for the amount of time they spend in the water. Instead of sweating, they secrete a viscous red fluid, which protects the animal’s skin against the sun and possibly acts as healing agents.

• Their social structures are dependent on food and water conditions.

Common hippos are usually found in mixed groups of anywhere from 20 to 100 individuals held by a territorial bull, but in periods of drought large numbers are forced to congregate near limited pools of water. This overcrowding disrupts the hierarchical system, resulting in even higher levels of aggression, with the oldest and strongest males asserting dominance.

Unlike their social cousins, pygmy hippos are solitary and aren’t territorial. If they encounter each other outside of mating, then they simply ignore each other.

• The surprisingly agile hippo climbs steep banks each night to graze on grass.

They will eat about 40 Kg (88 pounds) of food during this time. Their modest appetite is due to its sedentary life, which does not require high outputs of energy. When returning from grazing before dawn, they will enter their water pool at the same spot they exited.

Hippos are social, and live in groups of 20 to 100. During the day, the hippo is sedentary, but at dusk it leaves the water to graze. In 5 to 6 years, females achieve sexual maturity. Hippopotamus in Africa.

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