| Marine Science Honors : Hippopotamus |
| Behavior |
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| Hippopotamuses are social animals and usually live in herds of 15 or more. These groups are primarily females and their young, headed by one dominant male, and sometimes include inferior males as well. Females will leave the herd when giving birth, and stay away anywhere from 10-44 days before rejoining with the new addition. Hippopotamuses are considered incredibly fierce, especially when it comes to defending their territory and young. They are not scared of humans, and have caused many more deaths in Africa than any other animal. |
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| One very notable behavior of hippopotamuses, as said above, is how territorial they can be. Mothers are extremely protective of their young, but males are also very protective when it comes to their herd and their "range". One way they make their territory known to other hippos and other animals is by "dung spreading". As they defecate they wag their short tail back and forth quickly, making them poop in a sort of spraying manner. (pretty self explanatory, if not, look at the picture on the right!) |
| omg... ew! |