Our first animal of the week is the hippopotamus! If I have missed any information that you think should be on, here, just post it if I can verify that it is true, I will add it to the final entry! So read up about the Hippopotamus! (And learn to spell it too)

Hippopotamus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Hippopotamidae
Genus: Hippopotamus
Species: Hippopotamus amphibious

Description: Brown with purplish hues. The eyes and nostrils are on top of the head and nose to allow it to breathe while its body is underwater. Long canine teeth.
Size: 10-13 feet long. 5 feet tall. Weighs 3300-9900 lbs (1500-4500 kgs). Females are smaller than the males.
Habitat: East Africa. Areas with water, reeds, and grasslands.
Behavior: Often sleeps during the day and is awake at night, but is not officially nocturnal. They do not swim, but glide or walk across the bottom of the river bed. Adults can stay underwater for as long as 6 minutes! They live in groups of up to 30 hippos with males fighting for control and females making up most of the group with their young. The males fight with their long canine teeth being able to open their mouths extremely wide.
Predators: Humans, lions crocodiles. Lions and crocodiles can bring down hippo, but it would be a tough fight.
Diet: Grasses along rivers or farther out into the grasslands. Hippos have been observed eating the remnants of large kills and carcasses or small animals, but are mostly herbivorous (vegetarian).
Lifespan: 40-50 years
Status: Vulnerable. Was heavily hunted by humans.

Hippopatomuses have the largest gape. The males have a gape of 4ft and it is about 180degrees gape