We are the largest hunting and archery information sites on the Internet. Also, ranking.com says we are the most popular site for visitors after Cabela's. Finally, we get more hits than any other hunting site because there is so much more to see.
Enhanced Fishing Society Site
Our enhancement program is 90% complete. Our volunteers have added over 800 pages. We now have over 3,000 and 30,000 links to Fresh and Saltwater fishing, guides, rods, reels, lures, recipes, fish and where and how to fish and the boats to fish in.
The Archery Society
1,000+ pages and 15,000 links to archery and bowhunting, hunting guides, archery history, products and services
Hippopotamus Information
Bookmark this valuable site
Bookmark this valuable site
Thank you for visiting Hippopotamus Information. We are a non profit, public service organization. We are all volunteers. All our revenues go to improving the site. No one has ever taken a salary. Please scroll down to learn more.
.
If you have a picture of wildlife that you like, send it to us and we will put it up and give you the credit.
![]()
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
Physical Characteristics
- Broad snout, large mouth, short barrel-like body and short, stocky legs. The nostrils are located on top of the snout and can be closed. The sparsely-haired skin contains special pores which secrete "blood sweat." This thick, oily, pinkish substance allows them to remain in water or on dry land for long periods.
- Size of average adult
- length: 12 - 15 feet
- height: 5 feet
- weight: 2,000 - 14,000 lbs.
- Approximate life span is 41 years.
Diet
- Wild: grass
Behavior
- May live alone or in large groups of up to 30. Adult males compete with each other for control of a herd. The chief weapons are the lower canines.
- Bulls have a loud roar that can be heard over a great distance.
- Spends practically the entire day sleeping or resting in or near water; then emerges to feed at night
- Normally stay submerged 3-5 minutes, but can remain under for up to 30 minutes
- Reproduction
- sexual maturity: 3-4 years in captivity, 6-15 years in the wild
- breeding season: any time of year
- gestation: 227-240 days
- normally single births, birth weight 60 - 110 pounds, young can swim before they can walk and may nurse underwater.
Environmental/Global
- Habitat: areas of deep water with adjacent reed beds
- Distribution: African rivers, including the Nile and the Mara