How Long can a Newborn Hippo Stay under Water?
Newborn Hippos born into the wild face numerous challenges, from predators to the ever changing environment. However these Newborn's resilience is tremendous.
Newborn Hippos weigh between 35 to 40 kg at birth. The female Hippo will give birth to a single calf every two years. Calves are usually born in the rainy season. Calves are either born in water or on land. At birth the cow will leave the pod with her calf to bond. After 3 weeks the calves will start to eat grass however continue to nurse for upto a year. At 5 months the calves will start eating more grass while out at night. During the nightly outings in search of grass is when the calve is most prone to predators. However should the calf be a male then one of the other predators in water oddly would include the matriarch male Hippo.
Incredibly nurseries do exist between Hippos, varying numbers of calves would be watched and protected by cows 1 to 7 while the mothers go and graze. Hippos are the third largest living land mammal after Elephants and Rhino's.
How Long can a Newborn Hippo stay under water or hold it's breath: 60 to 90 seconds
Hippos are herbivores and adults can consume between 30 to 60 kilograms of grass per day
Are Hippos Agressive
Yes Hippos are incredibly aggressive. They account for deaths than any other wildlife in Africa.
Hippos are also aggressive towards newborn's especially if they are Male. To date their is no true evidence as to why but it is speculated that this aggressive nature is due to matriarch order in the various pods.
The insert depicts males trying to kill a new born Hippo on the St Lucia Estuary.