The Hippo, or in the greek translation, "the river horse". Often, the hippo
is described as looking like a pig, but the closest relative of the hippo
is whales and porpoises. The ancestors of the whale and porpoise split into even-toed
animals 60 million years ago. The hippo has a barrel shaped torso, with a huge mouth,
and gigantic teeth. The hippo has short legs, but it can easily outrun a human,
running at 30 mph.
BEHAVIOR
The Hippo spend most of their time with their families, lying around all day in mud
and water. The only time hippos' come out of the water is to eat. Everything else
occurs in the water. At dusk, the hippo goes inland to eat short grass, the main
food source. Despite the huge teeth of the hippo, being a carnivore is not something
the hippo indulges in. Adult hippos can't swim, but propel themselves through
the water by kicking of rocks and such.
