Some taxonomists group hippos and anthracotheres in the superfamily Anthracotheroidea. The modern hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus are the only living members of the family Hippopotamidae. In English, the plural is "hippopotamuses", but "hippopotami" is also used.
The Latin word hippopotamus is derived from the ancient Greek ἱπποπόταμος, hippopótamos, from ἵππος, híppos, 'horse', and ποταμός, potamós, 'river', meaning "horse of the river". They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory (canine teeth). Hippos are among the most dangerous animals in the world due to their highly aggressive and unpredictable nature. While hippos rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos typically do not display territorial behaviour on land. During the day, hippos remain cool by staying in water or mud, emerging at dusk to graze on grasses.
Reproduction and birth both occur in the water. Territorial bulls each preside over a stretch of water and a group of five to thirty cows and calves. Hippos inhabit rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps. Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it is capable of running 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances. Hippos are recognisable for their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths with large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, pillar-like legs, and large size: adults average 1,500 kg (3,310 lb) for bulls (males) and 1,300 kg (2,870 lb) for cows (females). Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the Hippopotamidae are cetaceans ( whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.), from which they diverged about 55 million years ago.
It is also the largest extant land artiodactyl. Its name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse" ( ἱπποπόταμος).Īside from elephants and rhinos, the hippopotamus is the largest land mammal. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus ( Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). The hippopotamus ( / ˌ h ɪ p ə ˈ p ɒ t ə m ə s/ HIP-ə- POT-ə-məs Hippopotamus amphibius), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. Historic range is in red while current range is in green.
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