amnhnyc:

It’s World Hippo Day, so make some room for one of Earth’s largest animals! Because this gigantic herbivore can reach weights of ~8,000 lbs (3,600 kg), you might think you could outrun a hippo. But you’d be wrong: A hippo (Hippopotamus amphibious) can charge as fast as 30 mph (48.3 kmh)! That’s faster than an Olympic sprinter.

Found throughout parts of East, West, and Central Africa, this mammal spends the majority of its time in water, inhabiting rivers and lakes. Hippos graze under the cover of darkness, emerging from their watery domain to consume an average of 88 lbs (40 kg) of food each night. Fun fact: A group of hippos is called a bloat.

Photo: mikeloomis, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

#hippos #animals #biodiversity #hippopotamus #wildlife
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