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Hippopotamus
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Jul 3, 2025
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Hi, this is your host Malcolm Walker and
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you're watching this channel, Wild True.
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Today we will be talking about the
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hippopotamus. The hippopotamus or hippo
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for short is one of the largest land
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mammals in Africa.
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There are three species of hippopotamus.
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The common hippopotamus, the pygmy
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hippopotamus, and the extinct Javamu
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hippopotamus.
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However, when they are still nursing,
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they are very vulnerable. It stays with
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its mother for up to 2 years and she
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will teach him how to find food and
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protect him from danger. They are
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responsible for more deaths in Africa
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than any other land mammal. They kill
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around 500 people each year. They are
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territorial and they will attack
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anything that invades their space,
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whether it is a human or another animal.
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Look out for these amazing creatures. I
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hope you enjoyed this video. If you did,
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please hit the like button and share it
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with your friends. Subscribe to the
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channel and turn on notifications to
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never miss an upload. This has been the
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Hippopotamus. Damn. I'll see you next
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time. And always remember to respect
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their space. If you do, they will not
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harm you. We'll also kill each other's
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babies just for fun. They can run up to
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30 mph and they can charge you if they
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feel threatened. They can drag you
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underwater with ease just to be playful.
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A hippopotamus kick can be fatal. It has
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been recorded that their kicks can reach
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1,600 lb per square in. The delivery of
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this kick is so sudden that it is almost
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impossible to dodge. Usually, there are
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between three to 10 females in a group,
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and they all help to raise the young
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ones. The calves play with each other
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while the mothers are looking for food.
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Once the calves are old enough, they
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will leave their mother's group to find
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their own. Sometimes crocodiles attack
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the babies and unweened hippos. Even
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though they don't have any predators,
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they sometimes fight each other. Male
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hippos will fight each other to
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establish dominance. Their sweat has a
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pink color due to the oils present in
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it. No. Two, they snore. Many some
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researchers believe that their snorts
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may be a form of communication.
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No. Three hippos have lips. Not many
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people know this, but they actually have
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two sets of lips. The outer lips protect
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the inner lips when they are eating.
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Number four, they are very good at
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hiding. The red mud they roll in helps
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them to camouflage with their
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surroundings.
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Number five, hippos have fingerprints.
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Just like humans, no two hippos have the
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same fingerprints. Number six, their
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jaws can't move. Their jaws are fused
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together, so they can only eat and yawn.
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Number seven, hippos can't jump. Even
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though they are excellent swimmers, they
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can't jump in the water. Only the
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strongest males get the best mates. When
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a new male comes along, he will
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challenge the dominant male for his
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position. The young male wins the fight,
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he will take over the group of females.
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Hippos are herbivores, and they spend
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most of their time looking for food.
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They mainly eat grass, but they also eat
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leaves, shrubs, fruit, and even sugar
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cane. They can consume up to 80 lbs of
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food each day. The name hippopotamus
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means horse mouth in Greek. The reason
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it got this name is because of its
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large, wide mouth. See? Their mouths can
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open up to 180°. If you want to see a
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hippopotamus, you should go to central
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and eastern Africa. They live in rivers,
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lakes, and swamps. They prefer
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slowmoving waters with lots of
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vegetation.
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Sometimes they even wander into people's
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gardens and fields to look for food.
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Hippos are amphibious, which means they
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can live both on land and in water. They
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can stay underwater for 5 minutes at a
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time, but they usually come up to
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breathe every 2 or 3 minutes. When they
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are underwater, they use their eyes,
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ears, and nostrils to sense danger. They
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are really good swimmers and they use
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their webbed feet to paddle themselves
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through the water on land. They move in
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a different way. Have to move in a funny
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way. They basically have to walk with a
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side step. Can't walk straight ahead or
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backwards. And they do this to protect
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their belly. Their bellies are very big
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and it's hard for them to balance if
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they are off their center. A
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hippopotamus has no predators when it is
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an adult. That means it is at the top of
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the food chain. Female hippos give birth
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to one baby after a gestation period of
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almost 8 months. The baby is called a
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calf. It weighs around 35 to 45 kg at
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birth. Even though hippos are
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herbivores, they can be very dangerous.
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Now, let's take a look at some
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interesting facts about the
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hippopotamus.
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Number one, hippos sweat pink. So the
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next time you're in Africa, that's all
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for
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