Hippopotamus
(Hippopotamus Amphibius)
- Height 140 – 160cm at shoulder
- Weight 1200 – 1300kg, Calf Weigh 45kb
- Gestation 7 ½ - 8 ½ months
- Longevity 40 – 50 years, 50 Years in zoos
Hippos, whose name means "river horse", are semi-aquatic and spend most of the day up to their nostrils wallowing in rivers and lagoons.
They are highly susceptible to sunburn, so to protect themselves
from the sun their skin secretes a natural sunscreen substance which
is red coloured. This secretion is sometimes referred to as "blood
sweat," but it is not actually blood, nor sweat. This secretion
starts out colourless, turns red-orange within minutes, eventually
becoming brown.
Hippos are herbivores, and at night consume a vast amount of grass (some 60kg per night) from the surrounding area. One of the favourite meals for the hippos are the fallen flowers and mature fruits from the Sausage Trees (Kigelia Africana).
When viewed on land the hippo walk seems quite slow and cumbersome. However in the water a hippo is actually quite agile as a lot of its weight is removed as a result of the buoyancy from the water.
There is a strict territorial system within the hippo community, which the bulls are continually fighting over for dominance. Often the bulls that are unsuccessful in fights are chased away and not allowed back into that particular stretch of river, these cast out bulls will then spend the rest of their lives living either in solitary or in groups of other cast out hippos. Bull hippos mark out their territory by using their short, yet powerful, tail to shower the designated area with dung and urine.
Zambia, and in particular the South Luangwa Valley, has a high population of Hippopotamus. This is due to their lack of natural predators; however lions, crocodiles and spotted hyenas could take a small calf, and the fact that hippos have a short gestation period means they can breed rapidly and double their numbers in just a few years.
As any visitor to Zambia will tell you, Hippos are one of the most vocal animals encountered on safari. They often emit choruses of grunts, snorts and bellows, which are normally the soundtrack to many people’s safaris.
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