Hippopotamus amphibius

[epaiva]

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

The name litelally means river horse from the Greek hippos - horse - and potamus - river . but there is very little that is horse-like about hippos. The common hippo is unmistikable with a barrel-shaped, almost hairless body weghing in at anything up to 3 tonnes aqlthough half that weight would be a more average figure.
Size=
some measurements were make by Dr R. M. Laws of the lengths of hippos shot on control in Uganda during the 1960s. The sample contained 20 of each sex, The average length along the back was 271,75 cm about 8ft 10 in for males and females and both measured up to 302 cm.
Weight=
Where culling has benn carried out and actual weights recordered from dismembered corpses, the results has beeen less spectacular than some of the previous published figures, e.g. Laws (1963), who weighted a large sample in Uganda, found the average weight to 1536 kg for males /max 2065 kg) and 1386 kg for females (max 1716 kg). Ledger (1968) who weighted 4 specimens of each sex, reported similar average weights for East African Hippos 1490 kg for males (range1179-1714 kg) and females 1277 kg (1185-1401). Pinaar et al found similar weights in Kruger Nationalo Park with averages of 1490 for males and 1321 kg for females witha max of 1999 for males and 1674 for females.Information taken from the book The Hippos S K Eltringham.
Credits= santuaryretreats - Cesika - natures_experiende - jakerosmarin - rj_endallphotos Reply