What is the origin of hippopotamus?

Hippopotamuses are large, round, water-loving animals that are native to Africa. Greek writer Herodotus is credited with naming this unusual creature. In Greek, the word hippo means horse and potamos means river. But hippos are not related to horses, they are in fact related to pigs, whales, and dolphins!

Hippo is often attributed to terms related to horse. For instance, hippodrome is a stadium for racing horses (and not hippos). Seahorses belong to a genus called hippocampus

(Hippocampus is Greek for seamonster, and it originally referred to a mythological creature that resembled a horse with wings).

Do you know why our brain area hippocampus is called so? Because the part resembles a seahorse.

Hippos live in sub-Saharan Africa. They live in areas with abundant water, as they spend most of their time submerged to keep their skin cool and moist. Considered amphibious animals, hippos spend up to 16 hours per day in the water, according to National Geographic.

Hippos are social beasts, hanging out in groups called schools, bloats, pods or sieges. Schools of hippos usually consist of 10 to 30 members, including both females and males, although some groups have as many as 200 individuals. No matter the size, the school is usually led by a dominant male.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the common hippo isn’t endangered, but it is vulnerable to extinction. The IUCN estimates that between 125,000 and 148,000 hippos remain in the wild. Poaching and habitat loss reduced the hippo’s global numbers during the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the population has since plateaued thanks to stricter law enforcement, according to the IUCN.

Picture Credit : Google

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