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

Hippos favour shallow areas where they can sleep half-submerged (rafting). Their populations are limited by this day living space, which may become quite crowded; as many as 150 hippos may use one pool in the dry season. In times of drought or famine, they may embark on overland migrations that often result in many deaths. By night, hippos walk along familiar paths as far as 10 km (6 miles) into surrounding grasslands to feed for five or six hours. The long canines and incisors are used strictly as weapons; grazing is accomplished by grasping grass with the tough wide lips and jerking the head. Near the river, where grazing and trampling are heaviest, large areas may be denuded of all grass, which results in erosion. Hippos, however, eat relatively little vegetation for their size (about 35 kg [80 pounds] per night), as their energy requirement is low because they are buoyed in warm water much of the time. Hippos do not chew cud but retain food for a long time in the stomach, where protein is extracted by fermentation.