The Hippopotamus is a large mammal from swampy areas, lakes, and rivers in Africa. Because they eat about 59 kg of food each day they live within walking distance of grasslands.

Hippopotamuses cannot live without water. They need it to protect their skin.

Hippopotamuses have enormous heads. Their bodies are shaped like barrels. They have short legs and their feet have padded soles. Each foot has four big toes. They have small, wriggling tails.

Their nostrils and eyes seem to stick out, and they have funny little pointed ears.

They are brownish grey on top and a light pink underneath.

A hippopotamus can weigh up to 3,000 kilos. It has about 40 teeth pointing in all directions.

Hippos can open their mouths up to 150 degrees wide!

The baby can feed from its mother under water just as well as it can on land.

A red liquid comes out of the hippos pores. This protects their skin from the sun and infection!

Adult hippos have only two enemies in the world: other hippos and humans!

Hippos are herbivores (plant-eaters) who spend most of the day resting in water.

In the wild hippopotamuses eat different sorts of short grasses.

At the zoo they eat grass, hay, lettuce, pellet feed and occasional treats which include apples, carrots and seasonal pasture grazing.