K8sports'+Animal+Report+page

**Research 75 facts with sources:

Hippos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippo **

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39) The stomach of a hippo is not suited to carnivory, and meat-eating is likely caused by aberrant behavior or nutritional stress ======

45) hippos rarely ever kill other hippos




47) 13 feet long and 5 feet tall


63) Other predators are lions and crocodiles




78) Hippopotamus amphibius is the scientific name for the hippo


[|__http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Hippopotamus.asp__]


103) Hippopotamuses give birth to one calf after an 8-month gestation period






 Physical Characteristics of the hippo: *Hippos have large lungs //*Hippos have no sweat glands//
 * Hippos teeth can be 20 inches long Underparts of body are pink
 * //Upperparts of body are blue-black//
 * //Skin gray/brown color//
 * //The pygmy hippopotamus is much smaller and can weigh between 440 and 605 pounds//
 * //Hippos are heavy-body animals//
 * //A hippo’s tail is up to 22 inches long//
 * //The stomach of the Hippo has three chambers, but is non-ruminating * Newly born hippos are relatively small, weighing from 55 to 120 pounds//


 * //3 feet long and 5 feet tall//

//*Hairless body
 * ** //hippos have plump and bulky body is set on short, stumpy legs, with each foot having four toes// **
 * //hippos skin secretes a natural sunscreen//
 * //The eyes, ears, and nostrils of hippos are placed high on the roof of it's scull//
 * //Older males can weigh between 7,100 - 9,900//
 * //Adult females weigh between 2,900 - 3,300 pounds//
 * //Adult males weigh between 3,300 - 4,000 pounds//
 * Mammal//



 //-// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Mothers others nurse underwater - Males must get permission from females before entering a herd - If a male doesn't behave properly the females attack him - Female hippopotamuses will also watch over groups of calves - Baby hippos first act is to swim to the surface so it can breath - During a fight, male hippopotamuses will ram each other with their mouths open using there heads as sledgehammers - The hippopotamus is territorial in water - Adult males compete for territory - Mothers are very protective of their young - Active on land 5 - 6 hours - Hippos communicate using a variety of grunts and deep rumbles - Hippos are thought to be Africa's most dangerous animal - Hippos spend most of their day in water close to shore lying on their bellies. In areas undisturbed by people, hippos lie on the shore in the morning sun - Newborns often climb on their mothers' backs to rest - Hippos have a flexible social system defined by hierarchy and by feed and water - hippos rarely ever kill other hippos - hippos attack humans and boats -// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//An open mouth is the hippos way of telling people that he feels threatened - During the day they remain cool by staying in water or mud// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;"> ||
 * Behavior of Hippos:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

Predator/Prey of hippos: - Hippos chief predators are people - predators are Lion, Hyena, and Crocodile ||
- Hippos are born in water - Mothers others nurse underwater - Female hippopotamuses will also watch over groups of calves - graze at four to five months old - Males leave the herd at one year old - At five to seven years old a hippo mates ||
 * Life cycle of hippos:

- <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">Females stop growing at age 25 - Male hippos keep growing their whole life - Hippos usually live 40 to 50 years - The oldest Hippo ever lived to be age 61 - The hippopotamidae are believed to have evolved in Africa ||
 * Growth of hippos:

- Live in Africa - T he common hippo lives in East Africa, south of the Sahara. The pygmy hippopotamus is found in rivers and swamps in dense forests of western Africa - Always near water || **-Hippos eyes, ears, and nose are high on the face, allowing the animal to be almost totally submerged when it is in the water - hippos spend their days laying in the water with oily secretions helping protect their skin from sun** || - Baby hippos have many predators - stomach of a hippo is not suited to eat meat ||
 * Location/habitat of hippos:
 * ** Adaptations of hippos ** :
 * Problems that hippos have:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

Grass ||
 * Diet of hippo:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> - 5-30 hippos in a group - A group hippos are called a pod, herd, dale, or a bloat || -The closest living relative to the hippo is a whale and porpoises -They are related to pigs but not closely ||
 * Family Groups of hippos:
 * Hippo relatives:

__ACROSTIC POEM__
 * H**ungry
 * I**ntelligent
 * P**otamus means river in Greek
 * P**oaching is a threat to hippos
 * O**utstandingly large lungs
 * P**eople are the main predator of hippos
 * O**bviously very big
 * T**he third heaviest mammal
 * A**lways in the water
 * M**ammal from Africa
 * U**sually aggressive
 * S**uper heavy

<span style="font-size: 213.802%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">__Haiku poem__

<span style="font-size: 213.802%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Hippopotamus are very large animals they eat lots of grass

__Haiku poem__ hippos live in groups that range from five to thirty except for pigmy's

<span style="font-size: 163%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__HAIKU POEM__ Hippopotamus males leave the heard at age one and find a new one

<span style="font-size: 186%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__Haiku poem__ hippos are heavy males 1.5-2 tons girls 1.5 tons

<span style="font-size: 148%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> __Q&A section with the common hippo adult male:__

Hi I'm K8sports here with Harry the Hippo! I'm trying to learn as much as I can about Hippos before I go on my trip to Africa to actually observe them. So Harry would yo mind filling me in on some facts about hippos?

Sure K8sports I would be happy to fill you in on some cool facts about hippos.

What do you think of other animals? If they are not birds then I hate them and are aggressive towards them so they don't touch me or hurt me. How heavy was the biggest fellow hippo that you have ever seen? Well my dads really big he weighs about 10,000 pounds or 5 tons, but he is really old, like 20 yrs old! How much do you weigh? I weigh about a ton 4,000 pounds but I'm really big for my age. What was it like to leave your herd when you where one year old? It was really scary but eventually I convinced some old ladies to let me into their herd and now I am the Dominant male of the group! Have you ever had to compete for territory? No, but the dominant male before me did. Can you still float in water? Yes I can it is amazing cause almost no one else my age can. Most hippos at my age are no longer buoyant and have kick off the ground to swim. Do you ever get tired after grazing? No cause the most we do is walk around but we usually just stand eating grass. When you were young did you ever see one of the hippos predators? Yes I have it was really scary I thought I was gonna die but my mother and father protected protected me form it. I did have a friend who was killed by a alligator when I was six months old, I was so sad! Have you ever ate meat? No and I never want to I am just going to stick with grass I like being a Herbivore and not a carnivore! Meat looks Yucky and grass looks yummy that is what I say to remind me not to eat meat! Some people find you very aggressive do you think that it is true? NO, maybe their just so nice that they find us mean! We are very kind not mean!

Thank you for your time Harry I know a lot more about hippos now I will know the most when I go to Africa!

Hippos are not territorial on land, and they do not like sitting in pans.

Hippos can outrun a Olympic sprinter at short distances, without any assistant’s.

Young hippos can float, but not on a boat.

They graze at night, and females don’t fight.

They attack humans and boats, but adults can’t float.

Hippos rarely ever kill other hippos, and they don’t ever do flippos.

- All items served with Grass fries or small Grass soup || $4.50 $5.99 $2.99 $6.25 $5.99 $3.50 $5.99 $1.50 $2.00 $3.50 ||
 * HIPPO CAFE MENU || Price: ||
 * * Grass Salad (tomatoes for $2.00 more)
 * Grass Soup (With Optional Onions $1 more)
 * Grass on a stick
 * Grass fingers
 * Grass burger
 * Grass in a blanket
 * Grass Fajitas (Hard or crunchy shell)
 * Grass Shakes (Only Grass flavor)
 * Grass Rings (Outside optional)
 * Grass Wings

A LETTER FROM A HIPPO TO A CROCODILE

Dear Mr. Croc How is your day? I was just writing to ask you a question, I was wondering if you would please stay away from my side of the pond. Both of my calfs are very scared of you. Also will you please not eat my two calfs like you did my other one? My herd and I are willing compromise on how much space that you and your family get in the pond. If you do eat them then my herd and I will have to drive you and your family out of this pond. Please get back to me on this matter before evening cause then I am going out to graze about four miles from here. You are very lucky that my herd is not very territorial or else you would have been gone a while ago. I really hope that you will agree to these terms.

Yours Truly, Mrs. Hippo













Sloppy Copy drafts of writing