Gotta love HIPPOPOTOMUSES!

"There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud."

~ Carl Sandburg

"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do"

~ written by John Rox, performed by Gayla Peevey

Hippo Facts From Around the Web

• Is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa
• Is a close relative of the porpoise (who knew?)
• Is among the most dangerous animals in the world as it is highly aggressive and unpredictable
• Baby hippos are born underwater
• Hippos spend up to 16 hours a day submerged in rivers and lakes
• A hippo sleeping underwater will rise and breathe without waking up
• A hippo's life span is up to 40 years.
• Hippos on land look like giant slugs (my personal opinion)
• If you were wondering, both "hippopotomuses" and "hippopotomi" are correct

In 2003 I went on a safari trip in Kenya. One of the tent camps we stayed in was near a river where hippopotumuses lived. I took the photos below there. I had a really long lens with a doubler on it. We were pretty high up on a bank above the river. Luckily, hippos really can't climb. We could hear them all night. Everytime they come up to breath, it's pretty loud. As you might imagine (if you imagine such things), they are also quite loud when they're doing their "thang".

Click on the thumbnail to see a bigger version.

Mom and teen

"Yawning" is an aggressive action

Gonna just rest my head here for awhile

Me, too!

Big ole slugs

A group of hippos is a pod

Peek-a-boo

Hippo pod, aka, bloat or herd