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  • Hippopotamus


Hippopotamus

(Hippopotamus amphibius)

lion

Hippos are massive creatures that spend most of the daytime hours in water, coming out at night to feed on grass. Feeding excursions can take them a good few kilometres away from the water. Hippos sometimes come out of the water during the day in winter, when the sun's rays are not quite as warm as in summer.

In the Kruger National Park you will find hippos in most of the larger dams and rivers, and even some of the smaller natural pans that form after good rains.  An adult hippo can stay under water for up to six minutes.

hippo   hippos

Hippos have massive gapes and huge
teeth. They are also very noisy animals.

  

Pods of hippos are found in most dams,
rivers and pools in the Kruger National Park.

Males and females look virtually the same:
Shoulder height: 1.5m / 4.9ft
Weight: 1 000-2 000kg / 2 200-4 400 lbs


More hippo facts:

Habitat:

Most of the dams, rivers and larger pools found in the Kruger National Park

Active:

They generally rest during the day and leave the water to feed at night, but they may feed on cool, overcast days

Food:

Grass

Gestation:

225-257 days

Calves:

One

Weaned:

As early as 1-2 years, but up to 4 years

Pods:

Hippos live in groups of 10-15, but the pods, consisting of cows with their offspring and one dominant bull, may be larger

In Kruger:

To learn more about how to find hippos in Kruger, check out the right-hand sidebar.


Back to main mammals page

How to find hippos in the Kruger National Park:

leopard

Stay at these camps:
Lower Sabie
Skukuza
Satara

Drive these roads:
Nsemani Dam (H7)
Lake Panic Hide
H4-1 tar road
Shipandani Hide

Top tips:
Lake Panic Hide is one of the places where you can get very close to hippos, almost at eyelevel!

Shipandani Hide's water has hippos in it and is a great place to hear them communicate at night, if you overnight at the hide.

Nsemani Dam on the H7 is one of the few places where you have a 99% chance of seeing hippos – they are always present here.

Check out our other mammals gallery:other mammals gallery



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