| Size |
Hippos can grow as big as 13 feet long and five feet tall. |
| Weight |
Hippos generally weigh around 2,600 pounds although big males can grow as large as 5,500 pounds! |
| Conservation Status |
On the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the hippopotamus is listed as Vulnerable. |
| Diet |
In the wild and here at the Zoo hippos are strict vegetarians. In the wild, hippos will graze on grass, herbs and leaves. Preferring to eat at night so that their sensitive skin is protected from the sun, hippos can consume around 200 pounds of food. Oddly, hippos don't really eat water plants, preferring to travel long distances from the water at night to graze on grasses.
At the Zoo, the hippos are fed about 12 pounds of vegetation, mostly lettuce, herbivore pellets and as much hay as they desire (about 50 pounds a day!) |
| Geographic Range |
Sub-Saharan Africa including Central Africa and along the Nile River Valley in East Africa. |
| Where to find me in the Zoo |
Pachyderm House |
Note: Description below should include Longevity, Behavior, and Reproduction information
Hippos have grayish skin with short, fine hairs that sparsely cover their bodies. Hippos have specialized pores that ooze an oily pink substance that protects their sensitive skin from water loss and sunburn. Early explorers thought that hippos sweat blood, but what they were seeing was really this secretion.
Hippos have enlarged incisors and long, curved lower canines that grow continuously throughout the animal's life. These tusks are kept extremely sharp by rubbing against the shorter upper canines.
Wild hippos are known to live throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa wherever acceptable habitat is available. The largest populations of hippopotamus can be found in Central Africa and along the Nile River Valley in East Africa. Hippos are found in rivers and lakes that are deep enough for the animals to submerge, and that have nearby grasslands for grazing.
Longevity
In captivity and in the wild, hippos are long-lived animals that mature slowly and have calves every other year. Hippos generally live into their 30's, although older individuals are not uncommon.
Reproduction
Hippos in the wild live in loose groups consisting of one territorial male and several females. The bull will fight off competition from other male hippos in order to defend a section of the river or lake and keep all the females that enter his territory for himself.
A hippo's pregnancy lasts eight months. Breeding usually takes place so the calf will be born during the height of the rainy season. The calf is born in the water, can weigh over 100 pounds and is nursed completely underwater. By the time the calf reaches a year it will weigh approximately 500 pounds.
Calves and their mothers form life-long bonds. Male hippos reach the age of sexual maturity anywhere between six and 14 years old, although only older, stronger males can defend a territory and breed. Females begin breeding between seven and 15 years of age.
Behavior
Hippos spend most of their time in the water with only their eyes and nostrils exposed. When underwater, they can hold their breath for as long as six minutes before coming up for air. Although hippos can swim, they prefer to walk along the river bottom and are surprisingly graceful.
Hippos, considered the most dangerous animal in Africa, are extremely territorial. In their social groups, hippo males will search for the best territory along the shoreline and defend it vehemently. To protect their young, females group together to form their own nursery herd. Hippos of both sexes have been known to attack and flip boats that trespass in a male's territory or come too close to the young, often with fatal results.
Una: Female, born August 12, 1989 at St. Louis Zoological Park. She arrived at the Zoo
on June 28, 1990.
Cindy: Female, born July 7, 1989 at Granby Zoo in Montreal. She arrived at the Zoo on
October 10, 1990.
Enrichment
Adoption Information
Featured Foster Parent
You can tell Unna apart from Cindy by the white spots over her eyebrow and on the bottom of her chin. Unna is the more dominant of the two hippos and has a shorter temper.
Cindy is the sweetie and often comes up to her keepers for petting.
Enrichment
Fun Facts
Calves learn how to swim before they know how to walk.
Water bodies where hippos live actually have more aquatic life. This is because fish nibble algae from the hippo's hide. When the hippos walk they stir up the compost in the bottom, which is also food for fish.
Hippos frequently share the water with extremely large nile crocodiles. Although the calves are vulnerable, the crocs don't usually mess with the adults!
Conservation
Introductions
Animal Lingo
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