I have learned that some animals are so interesting that they deserve more than one Wild Fact! The hippopotamus just happens to be one of those animals deserving of two Wild Facts. If you remember, the first fact had to do with their ability to produce a natural sunscreen.  If for some reason you missed that fact or need a refresher then I urge you to check it out here.

Today we are going to look at how well accustomed these large creatures are to lakes and rivers.  Believe it or not, hippos depend on freshwater lakes and rivers to survive, and don’t even need to swim.  What am I talking about you ask?  Well, they don’t need to swim since they are so heavy, they just sink to the bottom and walk along the river bed.  Personally, I prefer my water wings but to be honest, I have never tried just sinking to the bottom and walking around.  The eyes, ears and nose of the hippopotamus have evolved to be placed high on their head.  This allows them to remain submerged in the water yet still see, hear and breathe.

The water is also very important for hippopotamus reproduction.  That’s right, mating actually occurs in the water and in most cases the female will be completely submerged, coming to surface every now and again for air. The other amazing fact is that the baby hippos are born underwater. Once the 60-100 pound baby is born they must swim to shore to catch its first breath.  They will often hang onto their mother’s back when they are in deeper water, however, the little ones will swim underwater to nurse.  So not only do they produce their own sunscreen but they are one of the few mammals that actually give birth underwater. Impressive, eh?

Hippopotamus Fast Fact: The entire time I was writing this post I kept thinking of the delivery guy in the movie Big Daddy starring Adam Sandler.  You know the scene where they are doing the spelling… Hip… Hip Hop,… Hip Hop Anomnyous!  I know this isn’t a typical fast fact but I wanted to end the week on a light note.

Have a great weekend!