*The name hippopotamus means "river horse".
*It's closest relatives are pigs, camels and deer.
*A male hippo can open it's mouth 4 feet wide (that's almost 150 degrees wide!)
*A bull's canine teeth can reach up to 28 inches in length.
*Hippo dung provides nutrients for microorganisms which in turn is food for fish. (They are very important in the ecosystem!)
*People use to think that the sticky pinkish-red substance that hippos sweat was actually blood!
*They can live up to 40 years in the wild.
*Hippopotamuses (or Hippopotami, both are correct!) have excellent sight, hearing, and smell!
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