Page 15 - World of Animals - Issue #29

Attack of the hippo

1. Speed BELOW
Hippo’s have fairly
poor eyesight so will
repel predators and
Underestimating a hippo’s speed could intruders by charging
prove to be a fatal mistake at full speed

Hippopotamus
30km/h Despite their leisurely
(19mph) appearance, hippos can charge
faster than the average human
can run. A fleeing human should
attempt to climb out of the hippo’s
path or run among trees or rocks.

45km/h Human
(28mph) The fastest runners in the
world may reach speeds of
almost 45km/h (30mph),
but the average person can
sprint at only half of that.

Horse
80km/h As natural flight animals, horses
(50mph) run on instinct. Their hooves give
them traction while on the move
and powerful leg muscles help
them run fast over long distances.

Cheetah
120km/h In order to pick out single animals
(75mph) from tightly-packed herds, these
cats have developed incredible
speed. They tire quickly, however,
and around 60 per cent of hunts
are unsuccessful.

BELOW 2. Size
With their eyes and
ears above the water,
hippos can emit The name hippopotamus
underwater warning
calls about predators means ‘water horse’ in Greek,
to other hippos and it’s easy to see why. If
being trampled by a horse is a
frightening prospect, imagine
coming face to face with an
animal three times heavier.
Their sheer size is what makes
these animals terrifying, and
they hold the title of third
largest living land mammal.
Despite their size, they can hold
a fast running pace to defend
against an attack.
Even the sweetly named
pygmy hippo can become
aggressive if disturbed in its
Male hippos are called
bulls, and they tend to be Pygmy hippos live in the natural habitat of Liberia’s
larger than females to rivers that streak through tropical forests. Like its larger
establish their dominance. the forests of western Africa counterpart, the pygmy hippo
but are now considered rare.
is too big to fit in a bathtub and
has a mouth crammed with
Bull
sharp teeth. At 175 centimetres
Cow Pygmy (5.7 feet) in length and 270
kilograms (600 pounds) in
weight, pygmy hippos are
formidable fighters.

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