Hippopotamus in Uganda

The name Hippopotamus comes from the Greek words ‘hippos’ meaning horse and ‘potamus’ meaning river. Though the hippo spends most of its day in the water, it is more closely related to the pig. Hippos like to be close to shores trying on their bellies. In areas undistributed by people, hippos lie on the shore in the morning sun.

Taxonomy

Common name:Hippopotamus
Scientific name: Hippopotamus amphibious
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Mammalia
Class:
Family:
Genus: Hippopotamus
Species: amphibious

Where to find the Hippo

They stay in dry savanna to dense rainforests. R found in Kazungula, Limpopo, East Africa, Zambezi.

In Uganda you will easily find the Hippo in Lake Mburo National Park.

What the Hippopotamus eats

They are herbivores. They are surprisingly agile and often traverse steep banks each night to graze on grass. They exit and enters water at the same spots and graze for 4-5 hrs, covering one or two miles, with extended forays up to 5 miles.

How to identify a Hippo

Hippopotamus is the third largest hiring land mammal weighing ½ a ton.
A hippo’s foot has four webbed toes which splay out to distribute weight evenly and therefore adequately support it on land. The grayish body has very thick which is virtually harmless. The hippo has neither sweat nor sebaceous glands relying on water or mud to keep cool. Two hippos species are found in Africa. The large hippo found in East Africa and the much smaller species of hippos is the pygmy hippopotamus (choerospis liberiensis) found in West Africa.

Behavior

Hippos …a flexible social system defined by hierarchy and by food and water conditions. Usually found in mixed groups of about 15 individuals held by a territorial bull. But in periods of drought large numbers are forced to congregate near limited pool of water. A single young is born either on land or in shallow water after a gestation period of 240 days.

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