The river horse of Africa
27 July 2014 10:20 PM GMT
He will observe and breathe as his eyes and nostrils protrude above the surface whilst his entire body remains submerged and so does most of his face.
As he goes underwater, these sensory parts automatically close whilst he takes a five minutes doze.
He can weigh up to 7,000 pounds, eats 100 to 200 pounds of grass in one night but can go three weeks without eating with all his might. He is a vegetarian, loves his grass and fallen fruit, but is known to have killed more human beings than any other animal recruit.
His wide, open mouth can be drawn apart as far as 150 degrees, and he can make a sound that reaches 115 decibels – that’s as loud standing next to a speaker at a concert blaring with enraged guitarists and crazy rebels!
His extraordinary canine teeth grow continuously reaching up to 20 inches in length, and if threatened he will use these tusks as his strength. He communicates by grunting and bellowing, his call travels though air and water, just as he enjoys his graceful gallop all underwater. He takes pleasure in basking in the sun, and secretes a red substance that gave rise to the popular myth that he sweated blood. However this substance acts as a sunscreen, insect repellent and antibiotic salve, an all in one guaranteed moisturising emulsion. He can easily out run the average human being despite his stocky shape and short legs, as he can clock 30 km per hour over a short distance.
This, my friend is Africa’s famous river horse: the Hippopotamus Amphibius.
As he goes underwater, these sensory parts automatically close whilst he takes a five minutes doze.
He can weigh up to 7,000 pounds, eats 100 to 200 pounds of grass in one night but can go three weeks without eating with all his might. He is a vegetarian, loves his grass and fallen fruit, but is known to have killed more human beings than any other animal recruit.
His wide, open mouth can be drawn apart as far as 150 degrees, and he can make a sound that reaches 115 decibels – that’s as loud standing next to a speaker at a concert blaring with enraged guitarists and crazy rebels!
His extraordinary canine teeth grow continuously reaching up to 20 inches in length, and if threatened he will use these tusks as his strength. He communicates by grunting and bellowing, his call travels though air and water, just as he enjoys his graceful gallop all underwater. He takes pleasure in basking in the sun, and secretes a red substance that gave rise to the popular myth that he sweated blood. However this substance acts as a sunscreen, insect repellent and antibiotic salve, an all in one guaranteed moisturising emulsion. He can easily out run the average human being despite his stocky shape and short legs, as he can clock 30 km per hour over a short distance.
This, my friend is Africa’s famous river horse: the Hippopotamus Amphibius.
Next Story
