12 Baby Hippo Pictures That Will Make You Smile In Ways You Never Knew Possible

Fertilization results in a single calf weighing about 45 kg (99 pounds), born after a gestation of eight months. The calf can close its ears and nostrils to nurse underwater; it may climb onto its mother's back above the water to rest. It begins to eat grass by one month and is weaned at six to eight months of age. Cows produce a calf every two years. Young calves are vulnerable to crocodiles, lions, and hyenas. It is thought that attacks on small boats are antipredator behaviour, with the hippos mistaking the boats for crocodiles. As a result, hippos have long had a largely undeserved reputation as aggressive animals. Cows live in schools, but they are not permanently associated with other cows, though sometimes they maintain bonds with offspring for some years. Longevity is up to 61 years in captivity but rarely more than 40 in the wild.