A river horse is called a massive pachyderm herbivore living in rivers or other bodies of water. These unusual barrel-shaped creatures live in Africa and are called hippos. This is the third largest land animal, after the elephant and rhino. A little less, but heavier than a white rhino, the weight of this giant can reach 1800 kg.
Why is a hippopotamus called a "river horse"?
Hippopotamus has a short thick neck and small ears. Despite the fact that this amazing animal sounds like "river horse", numerous gene studies have shown that hippos are closer to whales and dolphins than to any artiodactyls. Their vegetarian diet usually includes fallen fruits, leaves, grass, sugarcane, corn, and so on.
Why is the hippopotamus called "river horse"? In fact, its name consists of two Greek words “river” and “horse”. They are well adapted for a long stay in the water. Hippos prefer rivers with deep water and nearby reed beds, some species live in salt waters near river mouths. On the upper part of the head there are ears and nostrils that close automatically, as soon as the animal falls into the water.
Herbivorous giants
These animals prefer to stay in the water all day, going to land only at night, in order to get their own food. Sometimes food searches can take them a decent distance (7-8 km) deep into the mainland, so they mark their way abundantly, so that later they can easily find their way home before dawn. In one night, these bulky mammals can absorb up to 100 kilograms of vegetation.
Adults can consume a huge amount of grass, capturing it with their wide lips, and not teeth, like most other herbivores. The so-called river horse has almost smooth, hairless and very sensitive skin, from the pores of which there is a red oily liquid that acts as a sunscreen that keeps the skin moisturized and protected when the animal is on land. Because of this interesting feature, the erroneous assumption was made that hippos sweat with blood.
Hippos have large tusks (incisors) and fangs, the growth of which does not stop throughout life. These tusks are considered more valuable than elephant tusks because they do not turn yellow with age. The "River Horse" has the widest mouth among any of the existing terrestrial mammals, and when this herbivore giant opens its mouth to yawn, the distance between the jaws can reach 60 cm!
Herd animal
Despite its large size and volume, the hippo is a fairly fast mammal, which can easily overtake a person. Hippos can be quite grumpy beasts, and two males can fight each other for a long time, sometimes causing serious injuries.
The herd usually consists of ten to fifteen animals, including one dominant male, several subordinate males and females, as well as young growth. Pregnancy of the female usually lasts about 230 days. Childbirth usually occurs in water, as well as reproduction in the months of heavy rainfall, but can occur at other times of the year. Young hippos are very attached to their mothers and often spend time basking on their broad backs.
Habitat
The natural habitat of these large mammals is limited to Africa, mainly south of the Sahara desert. In ancient times, hippos were also found in the north, in the Nile Delta, and their images were quite common in ancient Egyptian art. Currently, the habitat of hippos are lakes, rivers and swamps of East and Central Africa.
Hippos see underwater
An interesting feature of hippos is the presence of special biological glasses - a transparent membrane that covers their eyes for protection, and at the same time allows them to see under water. During the immersion, their nostrils close, they can hold their breath for five or more minutes. Hippos can even sleep underwater, using a reflex that allows them to shake their heads in such a way that they manage to take a breath and fall down, without even waking up.
However, in spite of all these adaptations for life in water, this animal (“river horse”) cannot swim. Their bodies are too dense for swimming, hippos move in a circle, pushing off from the bottom of the river or just walking along the channel in a leisurely gallop, slightly touching the bottom with slightly webbed toes.
Hippos live on average 40-50 years, a case is known when one representative of their family lived 61 years, however, in captivity. Surprisingly, this massive herbivore uses its huge scary teeth only for defense and fighting with its own kind.