The Hippo
The Hippo or hippopotamus is one of the world’s best-known and most loved animals. Yet this remarkable and much-loved animal is threatened, which could devastate ecosystems.
Facts about the Hippo
Hippos are omnivores (though they have a mostly herbivorous diet) that are found natively only in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their natural habitats are rivers, lakes, and swamps.
There are only two species of Hippo. There is the common river hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious); the other is the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis).
They have powerful jaws and tusks, and their bodies are hairless. They are semiaquatic mammals, spending hot African days in the water and evenings grazing on the land. While they have stubby legs, they can sprint up to 30 km an hour over short distances.
Hippos are big beasts. They are the third largest land mammal, just behind the rhinoceros and the elephant. A male adult or a bull has an average weight of 1,500 kg (3,250 lb.), while females (cows) weigh 1,300 kg (2,900 lb.).
The history of the Hippos
The name hippopotamus means ‘river horse’ in Greek. Despite this, the Hippo descended from creatures similar to dolphins and whales that moved onto the land millions of years ago. In the early Pleistocene-early Middle Pleistocene, there were extinct species of Hippo living as far north as the British Isles.
Hippo and mythology
The Hippo is a territorial animal; if intruders enter their territory, bulls can react aggressively. There have been many reports of hippo attacks and even fatalities. Ancient Egyptian mythology associates the animal with the Goddess of childbirth, Taweret. The large river-dwelling animals were seen as the guardians of the Nile with their tusks.
On the other hand, in West Africa, the Hippo is associated with the trickster God. In Uganda, the animal is still revered as a sacred animal.
Hippo and Humans
Men have hunted the species for food and ivory since the Stone Age.
It is believed that humans hunted hippos to extinction in the Levant and present-day Madagascar in the past few thousand years. The drug lord Pablo Escobar introduced the Hippo into his native Colombia, and today, there is a small colony of mammals thriving in the Latin American country.
There is still a great deal of hippo-hunter conflict in Africa today.
A vulnerable species.
There are an estimated 100,000-150,000 hippos in Africa. Among the threats facing the animal is habitat loss because of growing urbanization. Poachers continue to kill the majestic beast for its ivory tusks. The IUCN has placed the species on its red list, classifying it as a ‘vulnerable animal.’
Hippos and the ecosystem
Humans threaten the hippo, yet they are crucial for a healthy ecosystem. The waste produced by the animals is vital for aquatic vegetation. They stir sediment in bodies of water, which is good for a healthy water ecosystem and supports fish life.
Endangered Wildlife OÜ believes that hippos are a crucial part of the ecosystem. The world cannot afford for its population to decline or become extinct.
