Hippopotamus By My Name

Habitat Eastern and southeastern Africa Live in lakes, rivers, swamps, or other permanent bodies of water Hippos live in Eastern and Southern Africa as they enjoy warmer climates and require water to survive. If you happen by a body of water in Eastern Africa, you might see two small ears sticking out of the water. If you do, take a quick picture and move on. These animals can move a lot faster than what their body size might make it seem.

Size Adults usually weigh 2900-4000 pounds Average - 11 ft. long 5 ft. tall Hippos are rather large animals. Adults can grow to weight about 4000 pounds, that’s two tons! Imagine an animal that big looking over at you.

A hippo usually lives 40-50 years. Lifespan A hippo usually lives 40-50 years. On average, hippos live 40-50 years of life, though they have been known to live longer. Donna the Hippo was the oldest living hippo in captivity. She died at the age of 60!

Diet 150 pounds of grass Hippos are herbivores, which means they consume plants. Like almost any herbivore, they will consume many other plants if presented with them, but their diet in nature consists almost entirely of grass, with only minimal consumption of aquatic plants. The stomach anatomy of a hippo is not suited to carnivory and any time Hippos eat meat it is often due to nutritional stress.

There are only 125,000-150,000 hippos left in the wild. Hippos in Danger There are only 125,000-150,000 hippos left in the wild. Hippos are extremely reliant upon fresh water, and as a result, any decrease in the amount of water available will affect hippos’ ability to survive. Hippos are also under constant threat from hunters and poachers, who illegally kill the animal. Hippos are often killed because they are seen as a threat to society and their meat is valuable in many regions.