The Uses of Hippopotamuses Trivia Quiz

Answer: Canines

Like the incisors of a rodent, the canines on the upper and lower jaw of the hippopotamus constantly rub against one another, creating a blade like edge which can cause formidable damage to any animal which crosses the hippo's path (even other hippos!). Since hippopotamuses are primarily herbivores, they also possess rows of flat molars, capable of grinding vegetation.

Answer: False

The skin of a hippopotamus can be up to two inches thick, one of the thickest in the animal kingdom. Hippos only possess a very thin layer of fat under their skin, as a high level of insulation is not required in their usual habitat. The "fat" appearance of the hippopotamus is instead due to the immense size of their gut.

Answer: It is an antiseptic

Although most hippos are so large that they do not need to worry about being killed and eaten by lions or crocodiles, they do often encounter these predators, leaving them with many battle scars. It is claimed that the equivalent wounds on a human, if left untreated, would quickly become infected, but the blood-sweat acts as an antiseptic and so prevents the development of life-threatening infections in hippos. Additionally, egrets can often be found on the backs of hippos, picking off parasites.

Answer: False

It is believed that the last hippos in the Nile valley were shot in the mid-1800s. Instead, the common hippopotamus can still be found in sub-Saharan Africa. In Egyptian mythology, the hippo was associated with the goddess Taweret, as well as the evil god Seth. Additionally, many folk tales tell of how the hippo bargained with the Masai gods to allow its kind to live in the water so that it could avoid the intense heat of the sun.

The gods agreed, so long as the hippo occasionally opened its jaws to show that it had not eaten all the fish. Yet another folk tales claims that hippo's mouths contain diamonds, which they use to guide them in the dark during their night-time foraging.

Answer: They are tailless

Aside from being much smaller than the common hippo (pygmy hippos usually only grow to around 250 kg, whereas a male common hippo can weigh up to 3.2 tonnes), there are several physical differences between the two species. The physical attributes of the pygmy hippo generally reflect its less aquatic lifestyle, such as having eyes on the side of its head (rather than on top) and having toes which are less webbed. Both the common and pygmy hippos have tails.

Answer: It has an even number of toes

It is often claimed that the closest living relatives of the hippopotamus are the whales, despite them belonging to a different order (Cetacea). The fossil record is poor, but other, more accurate ways of assessing relatedness (such as the sequencing of mitochondrial DNA) do suggest that these two animals are closely related, having diverged around 54 million years ago. Hippos have four toes on each foot and so are classed as even-toed ungulates, along with giraffes.

Answer: They are predominantly browsers

For such apparently social creatures, it comes as a surprise that hippos almost always feed alone, and it is even more surprising that this is done on dry land, despite there being plentiful vegetation in the water where they can invariably be found during the day.

In comparison with another megaherbivore, the elephant, the daily intake of vegetation of the hippo (1.5% of its body weight) is tiny and is likely to be due to the fact that hippos are fairly inactive and spend most of the day wallowing in water, expending little energy.

Answer: True

According to the BBC book 'Wild Africa', hippopotamuses have been seen eating meat, and have even killed the animal before eating it. This behaviour is uncharacteristic, as the digestive system of a hippo is exclusively one of a herbivore. Conversely, the mysterious hippopotamus has also been seen helping impala that were being hunted by wild dogs.

Answer: Bull males will tolerate other males if they behave submissively

Whilst the antiseptic blood-sweat of the common hippo comes in handy in treated wounds inflicted by predators such as lions and crocodiles, most of a hippo's wounds will have been inflicted by another hippo, especially in the cases of males. Submissive males will be tolerated by the alpha male, but their short temper often shows and fights are common. Meanwhile, the pygmy hippo leads a more solitary (and peaceful) life.

Answer: It marks a trail leading to grazing grounds

Whilst the spreading of faeces may well make the soil more fertile, it is unlikely that this is the reason why hippos display this behaviour on dry land. As mentioned in a previous question, hippos graze on dry land at night, and they often visit the same grazing grounds which they find by following a trail of faecal matter which had been laid down previously.