Unusual, Funny & Interesting Animal Facts for Kids & Adults
Interesting Hippopotamus Facts
The name Hippopotamus is Greek for 'River Horse' because they spend most of the day submerged underwater with only their eyes and nose showing.
When they bask on the shore-line their skin gets covered with an oily red substance which they produce as a moisturizer and sunblock.
They graze on over 30 pounds of grass a day or rather night as that is when it is cool enough for them to leave the water. They can travel 6-8 miles after sunset to a grazing area.
They live over 40 years and yes, they do fart through thier mouths!
When they bask on the shore-line their skin gets covered with an oily red substance which they produce as a moisturizer and sunblock.
They graze on over 30 pounds of grass a day or rather night as that is when it is cool enough for them to leave the water. They can travel 6-8 miles after sunset to a grazing area.
They live over 40 years and yes, they do fart through thier mouths!
Hippopotamuses are bad tempered animals that should be avoided. They also have been difficult to trace - evolutionary speaking. For over 2 centuries scientists have been trying to figure out where Hippopotamuses evolved from. Interestingly enough they have this problems with whales too. Recently it has been discovered that Hippopotamuses and Whales may have a common ancestor.
"And several DNA analyses have concluded that whales and hippos in particular share a common ancestor. But some paleontologists have been reluctant to embrace the molecular findings because whereas the oldest known whales date back to more than 53 million years ago, the earliest hippos yet found are only around 15 million years old. The fossil trail of anthracotheres, however, doesn't peter out until some 41 million years ago. An anthracothere origin of hippos could thus reduce the gap between them and whales to just 12 million years. "This is the best work so far to link anthracotheres to hippos," comments fossil-cetacean expert J.G.M. (Hans) Thewissen of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. The challenge now, he adds, will be to identify anthracothere ancestors from the right time and place to bridge the remaining break between hippos and whales." From Scientific American
"And several DNA analyses have concluded that whales and hippos in particular share a common ancestor. But some paleontologists have been reluctant to embrace the molecular findings because whereas the oldest known whales date back to more than 53 million years ago, the earliest hippos yet found are only around 15 million years old. The fossil trail of anthracotheres, however, doesn't peter out until some 41 million years ago. An anthracothere origin of hippos could thus reduce the gap between them and whales to just 12 million years. "This is the best work so far to link anthracotheres to hippos," comments fossil-cetacean expert J.G.M. (Hans) Thewissen of the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. The challenge now, he adds, will be to identify anthracothere ancestors from the right time and place to bridge the remaining break between hippos and whales." From Scientific American