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Through
the years, the hippo has begun to dimenish. Right now, the
pygmy hippo (a smaller version of the common, or Nile, hippo)
is endangered, and the common hippo, is coming close to
being endangered. Many Africans and safari-ists hunt the
hippo for it's ivory tusks. =( At one time, researchers
were hunting the hippo just to kill it and study it from
the inside.
Hippos travel in groups or herds known as Bloats. Bloats
will range, anywhere from 10 to 20 hippos. Although, they
have been known to be as small as 2 or 3 and as big as 50.
The bloat is made up of females, their offspring, and a
dominant male. The dominant male has to continuely 'battle'
with the other subordinate males of the bloat to keep his
position. Hippos battle by using their heads as hammers.
The hippos face off and swing their heads from the side
to bash the other.
Hippos also have 4 HUGE canine teeth that are long and very
sharp. When the hippo uses his mouth in combat, it's a garauntee
that both hippos will come out of the fight with marks and
wounds from their sharp teeth.
When a hippo opens it's mouth wide, like in the pictures
above, it's not a yawn. Although it may look like this cute
creature is just tired and yawning, it's really feeling
threatened. So, if you ever see a hippo and that hippo starts
yawning at you, run away before it bites you.
Remains of many fossil hippopotamuses have been found in
European and Indian deposits of the Pliocene Epoch and Quaternary
Period; fossils in England seem to be of the same species
as the present-day common hippopotamus.
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