Wildanimals4Kids.blogspot.com : Hippo

NATURAL WORLD : WILD ANIMALS - HIPPO

Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!  

That's how a hippo eats a whole watermelon. Since its mouth is as large as a dinner plate, it can chomp on a dozen bananas or a whole pineapple in a single bite, chewing slowly the rind, pulp and all.

Hippos are herbivores which means that they eat grass and plants. They are also nocturnal. i.e. come out at night to feed. When they are kept in zoos, they also eat fruits and other plants.

The Hippopotamus or 'river horse' in Greek has a heavy bulky body with short legs. It weighs around 3500 kg. This land animal finds it easier to move when it is in the water and spends around 16 hours a day in rivers, ponds and lakes. It can hold its breath for about 5 minutes underwater. Now how does it do that?

Well,  its body is built in such a way that its nostrils and eyes are on top of its head. When it dips underwater, a transparent membrane covers the eyes while the nostrils squeeze shut. It needs to spend the hot day in the water to keep cool, mate and have babies.  Since the water is so important to them, they guard their territories here and can attack boats and crocodiles too, if they feel threatened. 

Hippos live in groups with one dominant male. A female hippo has a calf only once in two years. Mother hippos give usually give birth to babies underwater and also spend some time there until the baby is older. Hippo babies can swim soon after birth. 

What is a strange fact about hippos?
They secrete an oily red substance that looks like blood but is not. This liquid covers its skin from the hot African sun, moisturizes its skin and protects from germs.

Are they dangerous?
Yes they especially when they are guarding their herds from predators like crocodiles, hyenas and lions. To scare them off they grunt and hiss loudly and also open their mouth wide to display large curved teeth. 

Let's talk about them...

HIPPOS

1.Hippos are huge fat grey coloured land animals.

2.They live near ponds and lakes in Africa.

3.They come out of the water at night to eat grass.

4.They can chew a whole watermelon with big jaws.

5.A baby hippo is born underwater.

6.Crocodiles and lions are afraid of hippos.

Public Speaking

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