HIPPOPOTAMUS




SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

COMMON NAME:

hippopotamus, hippo

KINGDOM:

Animalia

PHYLUM:

Chordata

CLASS:

Mammalia

ORDER:

Artiodactyla

FAMILY:

Hippopotamidae

GENUS SPECIES:

Hippopotamus (horse, a river) amphibius (on both sides, living)


FAST FACTS

DESCRIPTION:

Huge gray bulky body with a large head. Its facial features somewhat resemble those of a pig.

SIZE:

3.96-4.57 m. (13-15 ft.) long; 1.52 m. (5 ft.) high at the shoulder

WEIGHT:

1,800-3,600 kg (4,000-8,000 lb.)

DIET:

Herbivores, prefer short grasses of the African plains

GESTATION:

8 months

SEXUAL MATURITY:

MALE

At 7 yrs.

FEMALE

At 9 yrs.

LIFE SPAN:

20-40 years; 50 years in captivity

RANGE:

West and East Central Africa; extinct in northern and southern parts of original range

HABITAT:

Rivers and lakes in grasslands; found mainly in large populations on preserves

POPULATION:

GLOBAL

No data

STATUS:

IUCN

Not listed

CITES

Appendix II

USFWS

Not listed


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