What is the maximum weight of a hippo in kilograms?

Hippopotamuses are solid animals that live in Africa. They represent the class of Mammals and belong to the order of Artiodactyls. Many believe that the origin of hippos (hippopotamus) is associated with pigs.

In fact, the animal, rather, resembles cetaceans. Anyone who first sees a hippopotamus will be amazed by his thick body, resembling a barrel shape. The animal has short, but massive legs, on which there are four-toed hooves.

Between them they are united by a strong film. This makes it easier for the beast to move around in mud places, during which the fingers move apart. The film does not allow the hippo to fall into the viscous soil.

Maximum weight of hippopotamus

Travelers admit that the hippo inspires thoughts of their indomitable power. After all, the biggest behemoth weighs 4 tons! Males are larger than females, although at the very beginning of development, female individuals outstrip them in growth.

But after reaching puberty, the intensity of growth decreases, and male individuals continue to grow for many years. The body length of the hippopotamus is 4.5 meters. The average weight of the hippopotamus varies from 2.5 to 3 tons.

Despite its impressive body weight, a solid beast can accelerate up to 48 kilometers per hour! This is a truly destructive force, capable of sweeping away everything in its path.

Features of the structure of the body

Perhaps you should pay attention to the fact that the eyes, ears and nostrils of the hippopotamus are almost on the same line. This enables the animal to see, hear and breathe under water at the same time.

Hippopotamuses are endowed by nature with a gray-brown color, which glows slightly with pink, sometimes purple hues. There is no hair on the animal's skin. Only a small bristle grows on the muzzle and tail.

Hippopotamus skin has specific glands that secrete a secret of red color. Most often this happens after swimming the beast. Scientists believe that this antiseptic, which protects the animal from harmful bacteria.

It is interesting that the hippopotamus is able to open the mouth in such a way that an angle of about 150 degrees is formed between the jaws! If we take into account the fact that the maximum weight of a hippopotamus in kilograms is simply huge (is 4000 kg), such a spectacle is not at all for the faint-hearted spectators!

Teeth in the mouth of the animal are located far apart from each other. They do not have roots and grow throughout life. The longest fang of a hippopotamus reaches almost 20 centimeters. He is no less popular than the elephant.

Habitat

Hippos choose shallow places - ponds up to 1.5 meters. The coast must be covered with dense vegetation. Probably, many observed in telecasts that animals do not sink completely under water.

They are just lazily moving along the bottom, showing part of the trunk and head. But this does not mean that hippos are bad swimmers. Even the heaviest beasts (the maximum weight of the hippopotamus - 4 tons) perfectly move in the pond. Diving, they can stay under water for about 5 minutes.

The animal finds food on land. The hippopotamus is selected from the water to the surface and for a few hours consumes plant food.

Lifestyle hippopotamus

This is a herd animal. A group of hippopotamus lives on a certain section of the reservoir and consists of a mature male surrounded by 10-20 females with a growing generation. Males from different flocks often show each other aggression, arranging fatal fights.

In this struggle, the maximum weight of the hippo is important. If the attacker is superior to the host of the herd with his body weight, then he has a great chance to defeat the rival and assign himself to all the females and toddlers.

It is known that hippos are capable of making sounds. Usually they use them as signals: mooing - attracting the opposite sex. Roar, accompanied by a snort, means that the hippopotamus is angry and ready to go on the attack. Even under water animals pronounce sounds similar to dolphins.

Hippos are most active at night. At this time, their skin is protected from ultraviolet rays. It does not dry and is not covered with cracks.

With the onset of darkness, animals go out to pastures. Consumption consumes 70 kg of grass per day (if the maximum weight of the hippo in kg is 4000). These heavy beasts have a long digestive tract, so so much food is digested without much difficulty. During the day, hippopotami prefer to sleep peacefully.

Marriage period and the fruit of love

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 7 years, males to 9 years. The animals mate twice a year: in February and August. Pregnancy lasts about 8 months. The female gives birth to a baby in shallow water.

The length of the newborn is 120 centimeters. The maximum weight of a baby hippo reaches 50 kilograms! That's such a big cub.

The hippopotomus quickly passes the period of adaptation and in a day walks next to the mother. But still the cub is vulnerable. By negligence, he can be squashed by a male.

In addition, various predators are not averse to hunting for a baby hippopotamus. Therefore, the female preserves it for a long time. When the danger arises, it closes the cub with its massive body. The maximum weight of the female hippopotamus is 3.5 tons.

Hippopotamus in unfavorable conditions

Unfortunately, often in the image of the enemy for the hippopotamus appears the man himself. Hunting for this beast is a favorite activity for some visitors and local people. Mostly they hunt the beast because of succulent meat.

True, the enraged behemoth also poses a real danger to man. From its strong and long fangs, a considerable number of hunters perish. Scientists say that at the moment, hippos are on the verge of extinction.

First, many animals die from poaching. Secondly, a certain number of hippos dies, because more and more natural reservoirs dry up every year. Labor protection organizations are concerned about these phenomena and are ready to take serious measures to address these problems.