Normal hippopotamus, or Hippopotamus amphibius 




Origin and features 

one of the biggest current land creatures: the heaviness of old guys can surpass 4 tons, the body length is 3.5 meters. Already, pigs were viewed as the nearest family members of hippos, however present day research has shown that as a matter of fact they are cetaceans. What's more, the actual hippos are basically semi-sea-going creatures: they burn through the greater part of their lives in the water, and emerge ashore just around evening time for a couple of hours to take care of. Of course, the antiquated Greeks referred to them as "stream ponies" (the strict interpretation of "hippo"), the Middle Easterners - "waterway bison", and the Egyptians, all the more exactly, "waterway pigs". Submerged, hippos can keep awake to thirty minutes, despite the fact that they as a rule plunge for just 3-5 minutes. They swim, for the most part paddling with their rear legs, yet more frequently they basically stroll along the base, utilizing their enormous explicit grvity.

Appearance and nutrition

The body of the hippopotamus is barrel-molded, and the legs are extremely short and thick, with four fingers covered with hooves, joined by a little film. The colossal quadrangular top of the stream bison arrives at a fourth of its all out mass (up to 900 kg) by weight; nostrils, eyes and ears are to some degree brought and situated up in a similar plane, so the hippopotamus can inhale, look and hear, remaining totally submerged and uncovering just the actual top of the head (f. 3). His eyes are little and encircled by thick eyelids, and extremely wide, upwardly coordinated nostrils, ready to close firmly because of the beefy edges and advanced exceptional muscles. The skin of this creature has for all intents and purposes no hairline, and there are organs on it that emit confidential of a surprising red tone, like ridiculous perspiration. This is a particular mucous oil that gives the skin flexibility and safeguards it from drying out ashore and unnecessary expanding in water. The mouth of the hippo is likewise extraordinary: it opens with the goal that the point between the jaws is around 150 degrees; the teeth are seldom divided, the teeth on the lower jaw don't have roots, develop over the course of life and can arrive at a length of 65 cm.


 Hippos feed fundamentally on delicious vegetation developing along the banks of repositories, and eat up to 40 kg each day. Their incredibly lengthy (around 60 m) intestinal system and three-loaded stomach make it conceivable to process this gigantic mass of fiber.











Social behavior and reproduction

Hippos live in crowds comprising of 10-20 females with whelps and one grown-up male. Single guys are kept separated, they are very forceful and frequently organize brutal battles among themselves, joined by clearly thunders, threatening stances and conflict with totally open mouths.

 The female conveys the embryo for around eight months and conceives an offspring in shallow water. In the event that the mother doesn't assist the whelp with drifting up and take its most memorable breath, it might stifle (since pausing its breathing for over 40 seconds can't). Following 5 minutes, an infant hippo, weighing around 50 kg, can as of now stand on his feet, and following a day he starts to follow his mom (photograph 1.2). It is amazing that a hippopotamus fledgling can suck milk ashore, yet in addition in water, while shutting its noses and firmly squeezing its ears (other than it, just whelps of genuinely oceanic well evolved creatures - cetaceans and alarms) are fit for this. In the fourth month after birth, the hippo teeth start to cut, and from the age of five months he slowly figures out how to involve an assortment of vegetation for food. Nonetheless, the female keeps on taking care of him with milk for an entire year. The fledgling stays with the mother until the introduction of the following, and some of the time longer.