Hippopotamuses reproduce sexually, just as all other mammals. The sperm and egg combine and fertilization occurs inside the female hippo. The average female reaches sexually maturity somewhere between the ages of 7-8 years old and the average male reaches this point between the ages of 5-7 years. A female can give birth to about 10 calves throughout a 35 year life-span.
After a gestation period of approximately 224-259 days, or about 8 months, the female gives birth to a calf. Usually a single calf is born, but on occassion it is possible for hippos to have twins. Hippopotmuses give birth in water, and a baby hippo can swim from the minute it's born. Cows usually give birth alone, seperating themselves from the herd and stay alone from 10 to as many as 44 days. The baby hippos weigh 100 pounds at birth, and are often hidden in the reeds by the cow for the few days after birth.
After they rejoin the herd with their mother, they are nursed (often underwater), until the 4-6 month mark when they begin to eat grasses and other vegetation. They are fulling functioning and can swim almost as well as an adult hippo, however it is common to see them riding on the back of their mother if the water gets to deep.
Mother hippos, or cows, are extremely territorial and protective. They are known to kill people and other animals that they consider threatening.
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