Hippos are known for being kind of cantankerous creatures for some reason. However, these adorable babies will make you change your mind. Check out this list for some of the sweetest baby hippos you have ever seen.
The hippo lineage split from that of its closest living relatives, the whales and dolphins, about 55 million years ago. It's said that they come from Sub-Saharan Africa. Their name means 'River Horse' in Ancient Greek. They're considered to be the third biggest land mammal following elephants and white rhinos. Even though you probably wouldn't think so, their closest relations are whales and dolphins. They mostly eat grass, and they typically live for around 45 years. Despite their weight, hippos can easily outrun a human. They can also be very aggressive, especially when threatened.
Take a look at the baby hippos below and vote for your favorite.
Reference: Bored Panda
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The portraits emphasize small details
A close view can bring the ears, eyes and folds of skin into focus, while a nearby adult supplies a sense of scale. Those visual choices explain the collection's appeal. Finding a young animal endearing does not establish how an unfamiliar hippo behaves or make the gallery a guide to interacting with one.
The evolutionary date should not become an animal’s age
A statement about ancestry over millions of years is different from the age of modern hippopotamus species. A fifty-five-million-year figure can easily blur that distinction. The gallery can introduce young hippos through their visible features while keeping evolutionary history, adult size and temperament separate from the appeal of the portraits.
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Hippo facts
The common hippopotamus is native to sub-Saharan Africa, from The Gambia south to South Africa, and its name comes from the Ancient Greek for “river horse”. Its ancestors are thought to have entered Africa from Asia about 35 million years ago; the early hippopotamid Kenyapotamus lived there 15 to 9 million years ago, and fossils of the genus Hippopotamus date from the Pliocene, 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago. After a pregnancy of eight months a calf weighs about 50 kg at birth; calves are born on land or in shallow water and can suckle underwater or on land. Hippos eat almost nothing but grass, up to about 40 kg in a night, and typically live 40 to 50 years; the oldest on record, Bertha at Manila Zoo and Lu at Homosassa Springs, reached 65. In 2017 the IUCN assessed the species as Vulnerable.
Sources: Wikipedia: Hippopotamus
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