Today is Hippo Day; Happy Hippo Day!
Hippo Day is celebrated on the 15th of February. Hippo Day is a great day to celebrate these wonderful animals and raise awareness about them.
The full name for hippos is the 'hippopotamus'. The Greek for the word hippo means 'horse' in Greek and the word potamus means 'river' in Greek. Essentially, hippopotamus also means river horse, which is quite a fitting name for these cute animals, as they are well-known for spending much of their time in the water.
Hippos are found throughout several different countries in Africa.
Today, there are just two different species of hippos remaining in the world. These two species of hippos are - the common hippo and the pygmy hippo.
There are a few species of hippos that have already become extinct. These few species of hippos have been extinct for some time though now.
The last one became extinct around 1,000 years ago: the species of hippo that became extinct about 1,000 years ago was called the Malagasy hippopotamus.
The Malagasy hippopotamus was found on the island of Madagascar and was smaller than the hippos that exist today.
Another, now extinct, species of hippo that once existed, was - the European hippopotamus. The European hippopotamus has been extinct for a very long time now, they were larger than modern-day hippos and were found in Great Britain and other parts of Europe.
The extinct species of hippos gives us a cool insight into the history and the evolution of the hippopotamus. While hippos look cute, they are also powerful animals, therefore, it's best to admire them from a safe distance.
What Is The Conservation Status Of Hippos Today?
Hippos as a whole are vulnerable to extinction today.
The Pygmy Hippopotamus is endangered today. The Pygmy Hippopotamus is one of the most endangered animals in the world today. Their population is so low that it is estimated that there are only between 2,000 to 2,499 Pygmy hippos in the world today, which means these beautiful animals are incredibly vulnerable to becoming extinct.
The population of the Common Hippopotamus is much bigger than the population of the Pygmy Hippopotamus. It's not clear what the population of the Common Hippopotamus is, however, the population of the hippo in total is between 115,000 to 130,000, which means most hippos today are the Common Hippopotamus.
Hippos are one of Africa's most iconic and well-loved animals in the world today. These adorable and fun-to-watch-animals are mostly found living near water. Incredibly, these fun animals are known to spend up to 16 hours a day in the water! Being in the water helps the hippos cool down in the warm heat.
Hippos are found in places like forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands, muddy wallows, and mangroves in the wild. The reason why hippos spend so much time in the water is that their skin is sensitive to the sun. Hippos need to keep their skin moist, otherwise, their skin will crack under the sunlight, which is why they need to remain in the water for much of the time.
Hippos are a fascinating animal, and Hippo Day is a great day to celebrate these wonderful and unique animals.
Happy Hippo Day!
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