The Hippopotamus is the 3rd largest animal after elephants and rhinos. There are 2 species of hippo. The large or common hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius), is found in East Africa, south of the Sahara. The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) comes from West Africa, and is rare. The common hippo can be 13 feet long and 5 feet tall, weighing up to 3 ½ tons (7000 pounds). The pygmy only weighs 440 to 600 pounds and is 4.9 to 5.7 feet long. Not as much is known about the pygmy hippo.
With no sweat glands, hippos keep cool in the water or in mud. But they do secrete a red fluid that helps them avoid sunburn. While most of its body is underwater, a hippo can hear, see, and breathe, since its eyes, ears, and nostrils are on the top of its head and nose. When completely underwater, its nose...
