What Do Hippos Eat

One of the most admired but at the same times most particular animals in all of nature.  Hippopotamuses are a very large species of the animal world belonging to the family of mammals, particularly the Artiodactyl, which means that they “support two of their fingers on the ground”, being one of their most outstanding characteristics over other similar species.

Talking about what they consume day to day in its natural state is likewise talking about their lifestyle in general. Despite their gentle appearance, these animals can become quite aggressive if provoked. In addition, due to their large size, they can cause serious damage to their victims if they intend to.

These animals can survive both in water and on land, being an advantage they have over other similar species. Due to their colossal size and type of skin, they prefer water as an area to carry out their life, rest and even reproduce.

Despite what is believed, hippos are nocturnal as they seek to protect their skin from cracks and wrinkles caused by the characteristic sun of Africa and the different parts of Europe that make up their wild habitat. That is why during the day they are in the water and when the sun has gone down, they come out of it, being able to travel quite long distances to get their food.

A curious fact about hippos is that they almost look like fish, since they can be up to 5 minutes under water without suffering from breathing problems. Another part that makes this animal even more fascinating is the meaning of its name, since it is compared to a horse, but in this case a river.

Hippos can be constantly confronted with animals such as elephants or pigs, due to their characteristic figure. But in reality its closest relatives, which are also characterized by being quite exuberant, are the whales, having an evolution of more than fifty-five million years, of which evidence has been obtained through different fossils that are compared with this species.

Hippos like to stay in groups, but they are mostly made up of females who will be the future partners of the male that dominates a certain group. Likewise, rivers and lakes can be divided into specific areas governed by them and those who seek to protect their young and group members at all costs, in search of the best sectors to feed, settle and reproduce.

What do you need:

• Study hippos
• Floors
• Shrubbery
• Flowers
• Water
• Stems
• Trees
• Mud
• Fruits
• Sheets
• Hippos

Instructions

1. They are not Carnivores. Many people, guided by the structure of this animal and its protruding teeth, have the belief that hippos are carnivorous, that is, they feed on the meat of other animals to survive. This is not entirely true since they are animals whose diet is based on plant species. which we will be talking about later, although there are some exceptions. Although they usually feed on plants, it may also be the case that they include meat in their diet. Experts describe this feeding behavior as facultative carnivores, meaning they don’t eat meat unless given the opportunity. This opportunity may occur because other species have left a carcass or are exposed to carrion and easily obtain it. Being an option in their diet if the occasion arises, but they are very rare cases.
2. They are herbivores. The word herbivores mean that hippos feed mostly on plants or plant species in general. The plants, fruits, stems and all that make up this species, that they can find around them, are the favorite foods of this great African and part of Europe. They can spend up to 5 hours a night looking for food, especially grass, being able to ingest up to 40 kilos in a single day… This amount can vary depending on the age and stage that the hippopotamus is going through, where the adult is the one that eats the largest amounts of food. Flowers, leaves and ferns are also part of their diet. All these are consumed thanks to lips that can be up to 50 centimeters wide. Hippos do not ruminate despite grazing the land, they do this to save energy when feeding and digesting their food.
3. Food in the water. Despite spending most of the day underwater resting and protecting themselves from the sun’s rays, hippos do not eat aquatic plants. For the most part, they spend the day doing their regular activities, but at night is when they go out to forage on dry land. One of the reasons why they avoid eating the plants that are in the water is because these are usually very thick (adapted to their environment) and they cannot easily digest it despite their characteristic digestive system made up of multiple chambers, in addition of an intestinal tract that is longer than that of other animals with which it is compared. However, if they are in need, due to lack of food on land, they can eat vegetation from the water.
4. On land they live and get food. In their natural habitat they can be found with many types of plants but they are quite strict with those they prefer the most. First of all they avoid, as much as possible, eating the roots of the plants since they usually cause many intestinal problems. Another thing that they can easily get on the ground, but that they tend to avoid, is the different fruits that the plants that they consume themselves throw up. From the rest they tend to tear up everything they find in their path if we are talking about vegetable matter.
5. Favorite foods. Just as they have foods that they can avoid, they also have others that are their favorites over others. One of their favorite foods is short grass, which is why they are called the shepherds of Africa. They can devastate grass areas of several meters around, characterizing this activity as quite solitary despite the fact that they are mostly found in groups. Another food that they cannot resist is herbs, because they are easy to obtain for them. The reeds and the different but detailed green shoots that can be found near the rivers, are also usually foods with which they can be quite delighted.
6. They can also eat other vegetables. These animals prefer plants that are at ground level and that do not have to make a great effort to obtain them. But despite large animals, hippopotamuses may have the need to stand up on two of their large legs, for a short time, and thus be able to reach food found in trees that are not so large.
7. Captive feeding. When we talk about hippos that are protected or that live inside a particular zoo or park, their diet can vary a bit. Although it will also be herbivorous, the difference will be between the types of plants that will be given so that it can consume them. The hippopotamus that is in a zoo, protected area or park can be fed with alfalfa since it is a very profitable food and is also used for other species. In addition to this, some fruits such as melon or apple will be included. unlike their natural habitat where they avoid fruits and especially of this type since they are very difficult to obtain for them. Vegetables such as lettuce are also part of the diet of hippos that are in more urban areas. Likewise, grains may be included in their diet since all these foods are easier to acquire for the human beings who are in charge of these animals in the different parks of the world.

Tips

Do not seek to feed the hippos because even though you are very informed about these animals, we should not approach them and much less if they are in the wild as they may feel stressed and attack those who are close to them indiscreetly.

Look for more information about hippopotamuses, remember that they are fascinating animals and that they have many curiosities regarding their way of life and data that we usually ignore, especially about some species that are a little more unknown to humans.

Learning about hippos is an experience that helps us get a little closer to nature. You may have seen hippos sometime in your life but now you know a little more about these great animals that are part of our world with us.