1. Hippopotamus Hippos live on the savannahs and open plains of Africa.
They spend time in the water to keep their skin cool and to stop it from drying out and cracking. Their skin is 3.5 cm thick. They ooze a thick, red fluid from their skin, which acts as sunburn protection and an antiseptic.
Hippos go underwater to cool down. When in the water, they close their slit like ears and nostrils. They tiptoe along the bottom of the river for around 5 minutes but can sometimes stay for 30 minutes under water.

2. Hippopotamus
If they get cold they come up to the surface of the water to warm up in the sunshine.
Hippos graze along the river banks at night, eating the grass shoots with their leathery lips.
Male hippos can open their mouths extremely wide – about 180°. Their teeth are about 50 cm long.

3. Hippopotamus
Hippos can be very noisy. Their noise sounds a bit like a ‘wheeze honk’.
Male Hippos mark their territory by scattering their dung with a whirring of their short tail. This action spreads the dung over a 2 metre area. In the wild, relationships between males are usually peaceful but sometimes they fight for territory. They slash and push at each other with their wide open mouths. They scoop up mouthfuls of water which they fling high into the air. Although they rarely fight, when they do, a fight can last for hours.
Text adapted from Toronga Open Plains Zoo. Dubbo, NSW.