Are hippos cute? How do they survive a very hot weather in Africa? Here are five huge facts about hippos for kids.
Hippos are some of the biggest animals on Earth in fact hey are considered the second largest land animal on Earth (first place goes to the elephant!). Males measure around 3.5m long and 1.5m tall, and can weigh up 3,200kg. That’s as much as three small cars!
Hippos take and walk along the bottom of lakes! Hippos are really good at holding their breath and they can hold it long enough to go for a five minute walk underwater!
Hippos look cute, but they are one of the most dangerous mammals on earth. They have teeth that can be 20 inches long and they are aggressive.
At dusk, hippos leave their watery daytime spot, lumber onto land, and walk as far as 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the water to graze on short grasses, their main food. They are not considered to be very fast moving animals, but in short bursts they can run up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour!
To stay cool in the blistering African heat, hippos spend most of their day in rivers and lakes. Their eyes, nose and ears are located on the top of their head, which means they can see and breathe whilst submerged in the water. What’s more, these super-cool creatures sweat an oily red liquid which helps protect their skin from drying out – and acts as a sunblock, too! Cool, huh? Hippos sweat an odd red liquid that not only helps keep them moist when out of the water, but also works as a sunscreen so they don’t get burnt in the hot sun!
We hope you enjoyed learning more things about Hippos as much as we loved teaching you about them. Now that you know how majestic these animals are, you can move on to learn about other ones like: Octopuses, Seals, Weasels, Dolphins, Kangaroos, Reindeer, Leopards and Jaguars, Rabbits and Flamingos.
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