Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius)

News: Colombia will launch a plan in the second half of 2026 to control its invasive hippopotamus population.

About Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius)

• They are large, semiaquatic mammals native to sub-Saharan Africa.
• Scientific name: Their Scientific name is Hippopotamus amphibius. 
• Sub-species: They are one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis).
• They are the world’s third-largest land mammals after elephants and white rhinos. 
• Habitat: They live in waterbodies such as rivers, lakes, and mangroves.
• Distribution: Their current distribution is limited to sub-Saharan Africa. 
  • They range from Gambia and Senegal in the west to Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia in the east, southwards to South Africa and Swaziland.
• Characteristics:
  • Appearance: These muscular animals have round torsos and pinkish-brown bodies with thick, waterproof skin, and short, stout legs. 
  • Speed: They can reach speeds of up to 22 miles per hour on land over short distances.
  • Their eyes, ears, and nostrils are placed high on the top of their skulls, allowing them to stay above water while the rest of the body remains submerged.
  • They have teeth inside their huge mouths.
    • Their molars are used for eating, while their long, sharp canines are for fighting. 
    • Their strong jaws can open to 180 degrees, and they have a strong bite.
  • Size: Males can reach lengths of 10.8 to 16.5 feet, and weigh up to 9,920 pounds, while females weigh up to 3,000 pounds.
  • Diet: They are herbivores (graminivores) and feed almost entirely on grass, with only minimal consumption of aquatic plants.
  • Behaviour: They spend most of their day in the water or mud to keep cool, wet, and protect their delicate skin.
    • When basking on the shore, they secrete an oily red sweat-like substance that moistens their skin, repels water, and protects them from the sun and germs. 
    • They cannot swim, float or breathe underwater. They walk or run along the bottom of the riverbed. 
    • They are social, nocturnal, and sedentary animals.
    • They are highly territorial and use dung middens (an area where they repeatedly poop) to mark their territory and communicate with other hippos. 
• Threats:  
  • Poaching for their meat, fat, and ivory teeth. 
  • Loss of habitat
  • Animal-human conflicts.
• Conservation status:
  • IUCN: They have been classified as vulnerable.
  • CITES: They have been classified as Appendix III.