African Mammal - Hippopotamus | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

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Hippopotamus amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758)

Hippopotamus diorama in the African Mammal Hall

Scene:

Athi River, Kenya

Sponsor:

John Jewett Garland

Background artist:

Robert Russell Reid

Also present:

olive baboon (Papio anubis),
Bare-faced Go-away Bird (Corythaixoides personatus),
Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta),
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis),
Saddle-bill Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis),
Spotted Dikkop (Burhinus capensis),
Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides),
Rueppell’s Starling (Lamprotornis purpuropterus),
White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus)

Hippos are gregarious, living in groups of up to 40 animals known as a pod, a herd, a school, or a bloat. Hippos average 11 feet in length, 5 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 7000 lbs. They can run at up to 35 mph for short distances.

The second largest land mammal (after the elephant), hippos are now known to be the closest living relatives of whales.

Biological Information

Range:

Scattered pockets in sub-Saharan Africa but no longer in South Africa

Habitat:

Rivers and lakes

Status:

Vulnerable to intensive hunting but well represented in many game parks

Diet:

Grasses and other available vegetation

Further information about this species may be found on the Animal Diversity Web page for hippopotamus.

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