ST. LOUIS – Friday is National Hippo Day!
To celebrate, we wanted to give you the scoop on what hippos are all about.
Large and in charge
Hippopotamuses are the second-largest land animal in existence, making elephants the largest. Males can weigh more than 6,000 pounds and females top out around 3,000.
But even with their massive size, hippos can run faster than humans – up to 30 miles per hour!
‘River Horse’
The word hippopotamus means "river horse" in Greek which is appropriate as they spend most of their life in the water. Blubber on their bodies makes them buoyant so they can float.
Their heads are also built for the water. Their eyes, nostrils and ears sit on the top of their heads, so they can get most of their bodies under water while still being able to see, smell and hear what’s happening around them on land.
Hungry, hungry…
Hippos spend most of their nights eating grass. They use their wide mouths to graze the grass down to a few inches from the ground over large areas.
Hippos can eat up to 90 pounds of grass in one night!
Other Fun Facts
- A hippo’s skin oozes pink 'slime' that protects them from getting a sunburn
- Hippos can’t produce sweat so staying in the water helps cool them down
- A hippo’s bellow (deep roaring sound) can be louder than a heavy-metal band playing 15 feet away
- Hippos give birth in the water. The 50-100-pound babies surface right after birth to take their first breaths
Information in this story came from the Saint Louis Zoo's website.
