Hippopotamus means "river horse" and is found only in Africa. They are heavy-bodied, short-legged, short-tailed animals, resembling pigs more than horses. They have large heads with small eyes and small ears; their nostrils, surrounded by sparse, bristly hairs, are equipped with special flaps that close down when the animal goes underwater. The eyes and ears are located on the top of the head. The mouth is huge and contains long, pointed incisor and canine teeth. Hippopotamus also have tusklike canine teeth in the lower jaw that grow up to 30 inches long, weigh almost 6 lbs. and are valued as ivory. The meat of the hippopotamus is edible, and soup is made from the hide.

The hippopotamus is one of the largest four-footed animals. The range of the hippopotamus has shrunk due to human intervention. The hippopotamus reaches a length of 9.5 to about 16 ft. and weighs 2200 to about 8000 lb. Because of its short legs it stands no higher than 5 to 5.5 ft. at the shoulder.

The hippopotamus is semiaquatic and capable of remaining underwater for as long as 25 minutes. During the day it feeds on aquatic vegetation and will swim 20 miles in search of food. It eats land and aquatic plants, sugarcane and corn and will forage anywhere near water for foods. Hippopotamuses have occasionally been seen in mountain rivers at heights of more than 5,000 ft. above sea level and at temperatures near freezing.

Hippopotamuses travel in herds of about 10 to 15 animals, but groups of 150 individuals have been observed. The cow bears one young at a time and fights ferociously if the calf is attacked. Old bulls, like old elephants, sometimes attack other hippopotamuses or humans. The species is widely hunted, traditionally by harpooning or by digging pitfalls.

The pygmy hippopotamus is found only in western Africa, especially in Liberia. It is black on top, with a greenish sheen; below, it is yellowish-green. It is less aquatic than the common hippopotamus and is found in cool forests and in marshlands. Pygmy hippopotamuses almost always travel in pairs or groups of three immediate family members, rarely forming a herd.

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.

Scientific classification:

Hippopotamuses make up the family Hippopotamidae. The common brown or gray hippopotamus is classified as Hippopotamus amphibius and the pygmy hippopotamus as Choeropsis liberiens