Hippopotamus: The River Horse

The River Horse is struggling and following the human attitude of war with each other. This is accurate! As presently, most of the population of the Hippopotamus, the River Horse is living in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Their habitat is becoming destroyed rapidly due to water shortages, waging of war and human cultivation.  And now the Hippopotamus is starving and they have to fight with each and every other for their survival.

Hippopotamus: River Horse ( Image : By Omri Suissa )

Hippopotamus is typically referred as merely Hippo and it is scientifically recognized as Hippopotamus amphibious. Hippopotamus is regarded as as the third biggest herbivorous mammal of the planet earth. This is a semi aquatic mammal that inhabits in the river bodies and lakes. They enjoy to dwell in the muddy and swampy waters. They have a unique physique structure, obtaining the upper portion quite bulky and large whilst the decrease portion such as the legs extremely shorter. The male Hippopotamus is bigger than the females and their physique size typically depends upon the location. They can weigh from 1 ½ tons to three tons despite the fact that it is very difficult to estimate about their weight in the wild due to their huge physique. Generally the adult hippopotamus is about three.3 to 5.2 meters (11 to 17 ft) long, like a tail of about 56 centimeters (22 in) in length and typical about 1.5 meters (5 ft) tall at the shoulder. The Hippos are not quickly swimmers and they are not discovered in shallow waters. But on the other hand, on the land they can run for handful of hundred meters extremely speedily.

The Gigantic Jaw of Hippopotamus ( By ER Post )

The sensitive organs of the face are found on the really upper part of the head so they can easily submerge themselves in the water. The Hippos have a very thick skin which protects them from extreme physical injuries. The most phenomenal feature of their body is their gigantic jaw and their sharp and powerful teeth. The Hippopotamus has a bite force about two,000 lbs. Their skin also discharges an acid type material which is neither blood nor sweat. This secretion is initially colorless and turns red-orange within minutes, eventually becoming brown. This secretion helps the Hippos to get protection against different bacterial ailments. The Hippos spend most of their times in the water in order to hold their body temperature down. At present the estimated population of the Hippos is about from 125,000 to 150,000 and they are widespread in complete of the African continent.

Hippos in a lake ( Image : Marcos Fernández Garrido )

The female Hippopotamus becomes sexually mature at the age of six years whilst the male Hippopotamus becomes completely adult at the age of eight years. The mating and birth sessions are executed beneath water and the baby hippos are borne soon after the gestation period of eight months. The female offers birth to only one particular hippo or sometimes twins at 1 time.

Infant Hyppo ( Image By Lyndon Firman )

Socially the Hippopotamus is considered an aggressive mammal and they are mostly observed with each other in a big group. They can also attack the sailors and are thought to be worst aquatic enemy of humans in Africa. Hardly ever they are observed fighting with each other and the male hippos use their incisors to avert the other people attacks, and their reduce canines to inflict harm.

At times, the Hippos are also referred as the “Beast of the Niles.” The human interaction with Hippopotamus, the River Horse is thousands of years older. According to the historians the Roman emperors specifically used to bring the Hippopotamus to fight with the gladiators in Rome. Similarly they have unique significance in the ancient Egyptian mythology.