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The Hippopotamus / Hippo Thread

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Mighty_Emperor

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Thursday, May 27, 2004. 9:33am (AEST)


Hippopotamus sweat may hold secret powers.

Scientists sweat over hippo 'sunscreen' downside

Want to be hip at the beach while being cool and healthy too? Try hippopotamus sweat.

Not only is the sweat of the hippo a fetching shade of red that gradually turns to brown, it also acts as a sunscreen and has antibiotic properties, according to Japanese scientists writing in the Nature science journal.

Before heading off to the zoo for sweat samples, a word of caution.

The scientists at Keio University say there is a downside, it stinks.
Click to expand...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1116847.htm
 
Hippo's 'magic' sweat explained

By Julianna Kettlewell
BBC News Online science staff

The really clever thing about hippos is that they produce their own sunscreen, in the form of a sticky reddish sweat.

Now, a team from Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Japan, has explained the chemistry of this special substance

It has told Nature magazine the oily secretion is made up of two unstable pigments - one red, the other orange.

The red pigment also has antibacterial properties, which work to protect the hippo from certain pathogens and accelerate its recovery from wounds.

River horse

The hippopotamus - or "river horse" - is a belligerent creature, which puzzled the ancient Greeks by apparently sweating blood.

In fact, the thick red substance, which oozes from glands all over its skin, is one of the hippo's many ingenious survival tools.

The enormous relative of the pig has carved out a unique amphibious life for itself - which requires some specialised equipment.

They get scratches and bites and cuts and yet they don't seem to get infections
Wayne Boardman, Zoological Society of London
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Hippos consume as much vegetation as they can during the night, when they are shielded from the searing heat and sun. At dawn, they retire into water and spend their days resting, squabbling and, most importantly, digesting.

"Hippos are basically fermentation vats," Wayne Boardman, head of veterinary services at the Zoological Society of London, UK, told BBC News Online. "They are adapted to eating poor quality food stuffs, but to be able to get nutrition out of these, they need to be able to eat for long periods of time."

Because it is so important for hippos to eat a vast amount, they must venture out in the sun from time to time, to top up on their nightly binge.

But a traditional sunscreen - like fur - is not practical if you spend half your time submerged in water.

Evolution's answer

The answer that evolution came up with was an anti-UV secretion, which is at first colourless, then red, then finally brown as the pigment polymerizes.

"The sunscreen property of the sweat was first suspected because albino hippos are often observed - and they seem healthy," Kyoto's Kimiko Hashimoto told BBC News Online.

This natural skin-care product not only protects the hippo from the sun, it also regulates temperature and discourages the growth of bacteria.

KNOW THE HIPPOPOTAMUS
Size: 1.3m shoulder height
Mass: 1600-3200kg
Lifespan: 45 years
Diet: Herbivorous
Predators: Crocodiles and lions
Click to expand...

Professor Hashimoto and his colleagues collected samples of the hippo's sweat and examined it, to see what makes it so special.

They found it is made up of two pigments - one red, called "hipposudoric acid"; and the other orange, called "norhipposudoric acid".

The scientists believe these two substances are produced from a metabolite of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins).

Both pigments act as sun blocks and the red one, they discovered, is a particularly good antibiotic.

At concentrations lower than that found on the hippo's skin, it can inhibit the growth of two types of pathogenic bacteria. This is useful for hippos, because they are terrible fighters.

"Hippos are always fighting," said Mr Boardman. "You see them in the wild and they have wounds all over them."

Perhaps it is no wonder, then, that evolution endowed them with a handy antiseptic.

Mr Boardman added: "They get scratches and bites and cuts and yet they don't seem to get infections."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/3749351.stm

Published: 2004/05/26 18:43:29 GMT

© BBC MMIV
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Oops, they weren't logs after all: The moment a crocodile was killed after taking a foolish shortcut across a herd of hippos
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:55 PM on 16th November 2009

Their bone-crushing jaws, 24 razor-sharp teeth and armour-plated skin are enough to ensure most animals keep their distance.
But, as our incredible pictures show, even crocodiles are no match for a herd of angry hippos.
This reptilian predator was brutally killed after he tried to take a shortcut - over the backs of a mother and her calves.
As 50 hippos gathered into a defensive circle around them, the incautious crocodile raced over their backs in a bid to snare his prey.

It was the last mistake he ever made. The beast’s defences were no match for the maze of angry mammals, who proved their bite is every bit as lethal as his.
The spectacularly rare battle of the beasts was captured by Czech wildlife photographer Vaclav Silha.
He had set up his camera on the banks of the River Nile in the Serengeti national park, Tanzania, when the unbelievable scene unfolded before him.
But the 45-year-old got more than he bargained for when a colossal fight broke out between the group and a sneaky crocodile he had spotted earlier.
‘Mutual respect between these animals means fights occur very rarely,’ he said.

‘One of the only reasons you might see a conflict is if the hippos have young and they think the little ones are under threat. That’s exactly what happened here.
‘The incautious croc got too close to a female who had calves and the whole group gathered into a defensive circle around them. It was a strong message for the crook to clear off.
‘I have absolutely no idea why but the crocodile suddenly raced across the backs of the hippos. :shock: I think it might have panicked and thought it was a possible escape route. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
‘It was the worst choice the reptile could ever have made and it was definitely its last.

‘The island of hippos suddenly erupted with teeth and all I could see was the crocodile being repeatedly crushed in their huge mouths.’
Described as one of the most aggressive creatures in the animal kingdom, an adult hippo can apply several tons of pressure in a single bite.
‘Even the toughest crocodile could not have withstood being repeatedly bitten like that,’ said Mr Silha, from Prague.
‘There was no way for him to escape. I few seconds later his lifeless body slipped below the water and I didn’t see him again.’
One of these pictures was originally published in the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z0X26fzISG
 
From 2013 but I don't think its on the board.

Experience: I was swallowed by a hippo
'There was no transition at all, no sense of approaching danger. It was as if I had suddenly gone blind and deaf'

The hippo who tried to kill me wasn't a stranger – he and I had met before a number of times. I was 27 and owned a business taking clients down the Zambezi river near Victoria Falls. I'd been working this stretch of river for years, and the grouchy old two-ton bull had carried out the occasional half-hearted attack. I'd learned to avoid him. Hippos are territorial and I knew where he was most likely to be at any given time.

That day I'd taken clients out with three apprentice guides – Mike, Ben and Evans – all in kayaks. We were near the end of the tour, the light was softening and we were taking in the tranquillity. The solid whack I felt behind me took me by surprise.

I turned just in time to see Evans, who had been flung out of his boat, flying through the air. His boat, with his two clients still in it, had been lifted half out of the water on the back of the huge bull hippo.

There was a cluster of rocks nearby and I yelled at the nearest apprentice to guide everyone there, to safety. Then I turned my boat and paddled furiously towards Evans.

I reached over to grab his outstretched hand but as our fingers were about to touch, I was engulfed in darkness. There was no transition at all, no sense of approaching danger. It was as if I had suddenly gone blind and deaf.

I was aware that my legs were surrounded by water, but my top half was almost dry. I seemed to be trapped in something slimy. There was a terrible, sulphurous smell, like rotten eggs, and a tremendous pressure against my chest. My arms were trapped but I managed to free one hand and felt around – my palm passed through the wiry bristles of the hippo's snout. It was only then that I realised I was underwater, trapped up to my waist in his mouth.

I wriggled as hard as I could, and in the few seconds for which he opened his jaws, I managed to escape. I swam towards Evans, but the hippo struck again, dragging me back under the surface. I'd never heard of a hippo attacking repeatedly like this, but he clearly wanted me dead. ...

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/may/04/i-was-swallowed-by-a-hippo?CMP=share_btn_tw
 
El Salvador's much-loved hippo Gustavito killed at zoo
27 February 2017

A much-loved hippopotamus called Gustavito has died after an unexplained attack over the weekend in the National Zoo of El Salvador.
The police are trying to establish who entered the animal's enclosure at night and brutally assaulted him.
Gustavito, 15, died from his injuries late on Sunday.

Officials have described it as a cowardly and inhumane attack on one of the most iconic animals at the city's zoo.
BBC Central America reporter Will Grant says that in a country where murder has long lost the capacity to shock, the extreme animal cruelty that claimed Gustavito's life has angered and upset all of El Salvador.

Unknown assailants entered the national zoo in San Salvador over the weekend and subjected the hippo to a sustained beating with what appears to have been sharp weapons and blunt tools.

The following morning, the zookeepers noticed Gustavito acting strangely, refusing to eat and unwilling to come out of the pool in his enclosure.
The zoo's veterinarians then found lacerations on the hippo's neck and face, and the animal clearly in great distress.
His condition worsened on Sunday and he died late that night despite the efforts of the staff to save him.
The culture ministry in El Salvador has said an investigation is under way to find the attackers.

Meanwhile many Salvadorans have taken to social media to express their sadness and disgust at the case.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-39106482
 
rynner2 said:
El Salvador's much-loved hippo Gustavito killed at zoo
27 February 2017

A much-loved hippopotamus called Gustavito has died after an unexplained attack over the weekend in the National Zoo of El Salvador.
The police are trying to establish who entered the animal's enclosure at night and brutally assaulted him.
Gustavito, 15, died from his injuries late on Sunday.

Officials have described it as a cowardly and inhumane attack on one of the most iconic animals at the city's zoo.
BBC Central America reporter Will Grant says that in a country where murder has long lost the capacity to shock, the extreme animal cruelty that claimed Gustavito's life has angered and upset all of El Salvador.

Unknown assailants entered the national zoo in San Salvador over the weekend and subjected the hippo to a sustained beating with what appears to have been sharp weapons and blunt tools.

The following morning, the zookeepers noticed Gustavito acting strangely, refusing to eat and unwilling to come out of the pool in his enclosure.
The zoo's veterinarians then found lacerations on the hippo's neck and face, and the animal clearly in great distress.
His condition worsened on Sunday and he died late that night despite the efforts of the staff to save him.
The culture ministry in El Salvador has said an investigation is under way to find the attackers.

Meanwhile many Salvadorans have taken to social media to express their sadness and disgust at the case.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-39106482
Click to expand...

A post-mortem examination on a hippopotamus at the National Zoo of El Salvador has found that it did not die as a result of a stabbing attack, officials say.

The zoo earlier reported that the much-loved hippo, Gustavito, had been stabbed and beaten by unknown assailants.

But prosecutors, who found no sign of puncture wounds, said it was likely the hippo died as a result of poor care.

Gustavito, 15, died late on Sunday.

A detailed examination showed that the animal had apparently died of a pulmonary haemorrhage, or bleeding from the lung, state prosecutor Mario Salazar said. ...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39162029?ocid=socialflow_twitter
 
Around 100 dead hippos in Namibian National Park

Thought to be Anthrax.

PAY-Unexplained-hippo-deaths.jpg
 
No respect for the Hippocratic Oath.

Two people have been killed in separate hippopotamus attacks in Kenya, according to local officials.

A Chinese tourist, identified as 66-year-old Chang Ming Chuang, was reportedly attempting to photograph a hippopotamus at a wildlife resort on Lake Naivasha, 90km (56 miles) north-west of the capital, Nairobi.

Witnesses say the tourist got too close to the animal, which fatally bit him on the chest. A second Chinese tourist was also injured in the attack and is recovering in hospital.

Separately, a local fisherman was also mauled and killed by a hippopotamus only a few kilometres from the site of the first attack.

Local official David Kilo told Kenya’s Standard Media that a “rise in water levels had contributed to hippo attacks”, as the animals sought pasture closer to resorts around the lake.

The deaths are the sixth due to hippo attacks in the area this year, and the BBCsays that hippos “kill an estimated 500 people every year in Africa”.

http://www.theweek.co.uk/95777/two-...letter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter
 
Comfortably Numb said:
'...and why wouldn't you...'

I can't find an attribution for this, just came up as an archetypal Random/Peculiar...

Anyone maybe know the background story?

View attachment 12866
Click to expand...

Found this on Pinterest -

Circus hippo pulling a cart, 1924
It is not often that one sees a hippo-drawn carriage 90 years after this photo was taken.
The Barnes circus had this hippopotamus named Lotus, who doesn't look all that happy to be harnessed to the cart behind her.
Click to expand...
 
Comfortably Numb said:
... I can't find an attribution for this, just came up as an archetypal Random/Peculiar ... Anyone maybe know the background story?
View attachment 12866
Click to expand...

It's an undated photo taken by German photographer Walter Gircke, attributed as circa 1900.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/...-pulling-a-sulky-undated-news-photo/542872881

The caged enclosures in the background suggest the scene is a zoo. My guess is that hitching a hippo to a sulky was a novelty routine at a zoo. Gircke is credited with press photos taken in diverse places as far afield as the USA, so this particular zoo may not have been in Germany.
 
Swallowed by Hippo

Tour guide loses arm but lives to tell the tale.

I was aware that my legs were surrounded by water, but my top half was almost dry. I seemed to be trapped in something slimy. There was a terrible, sulphurous smell, like rotten eggs, and a tremendous pressure against my chest. My arms were trapped but I managed to free one hand and felt around – my palm passed through the wiry bristles of the hippo's snout. It was only then that I realised I was underwater, trapped up to my waist in his mouth.

I wriggled as hard as I could, and in the few seconds for which he opened his jaws, I managed to escape. I swam towards Evans, but the hippo struck again, dragging me back under the surface. I'd never heard of a hippo attacking repeatedly like this, but he clearly wanted me dead.

Hippos' mouths have huge tusks, slicing incisors and a bunch of smaller chewing teeth. It felt as if the bull was making full use of the whole lot as he mauled me – a doctor later counted almost 40 puncture wounds and bite marks on my body. The bull simply went berserk, throwing me into the air and catching me again, shaking me like a dog with a doll.

Then down we went again, right to the bottom, and everything went still. I remember looking up through 10 feet of water at the green and yellow light playing on the surface, and wondering which of us could hold his breath the longest. Blood rose from my body in clouds, and a sense of resignation overwhelmed me. I've no idea how long we stayed under – time passes very slowly when you're in a hippo's mouth.

The hippo lurched suddenly for the surface, spitting me out as it rose. Mike was still waiting for me in his kayak and managed to paddle me to safety. I was a mess. My left arm was crushed to a pulp, blood poured from the wounds in my chest and when he examined my back, Mike discovered a wound so savage that my lung was visible.

Luckily, he knew first aid and was able to seal the wounds in my chest with the wrapper from a tray of snacks, which almost certainly stopped my lungs from collapsing and saved my life.

By chance, a medical team was nearby, on an emergency drill, and with their help I stayed alive long enough to reach a hospital with a surgeon. He warned me he would probably have to take off both my arms and the bottom of my injured leg. In the end, I lost only my left arm – they managed to patch up the rest.
Click to expand...
 
We could all take a trip to Columbia and round up a few. They're supposedly breeding like rabbits there after Escobar's collection were let loose after his death.
 
Lord Lucan said:
We could all take a trip to Columbia and round up a few. They're supposedly breeding like rabbits there after Escobar's collection were let loose after his death.
Click to expand...
Could Pablo Escobar's escaped hippos help the environment?

Colombia's "cocaine hippos" are making waves in their new home, but whether that's a good thing or not depends on who you ask.

WHEN THE NOTORIOUS drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot dead in 1993, the Colombian government took control of his luxurious estate in northwestern Colombia, including his personal zoo. Most of the animals were shipped away, but the four hippopotamuses—of which Escobar was especially fond—were left to fend for themselves in a pond. Now, there are dozens and dozens of them. ...
Click to expand...
FULL STORY: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...bia-cocaine-hippos-rewilding-experiment-news/

See Also:

Pablo Escobar's hippos keep multiplying and Colombia doesn’t know how to stop it
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pablo-...ying-and-colombia-doesnt-know-how-to-stop-it/

Chasing Colombia’s ‘cocaine hippos’
https://www.latimes.com/environment...ologist-colombia-cocaine-hippos-pablo-escobar
 
Lb8535 said:
Hippos are aquatic need to be near a big body of water.
Hippos are vegetarian their teeth crush plants.
Hippo throats are just not that big.
Story makes no sense, girl wanted out of the date.
Hippos are very shy unless seriously threatened and are most likely to run or try to stomp the cannon to death if struck by a dwarf.
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“Although accurate numbers are hard to come by, lore has it that hippos kill more people each year than lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes and rhinos combined.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/hippo-haven-107453678/

maximus otter
 
Nothing much to add to this thread other than to say I love the Swedish word for Hippo, which is Flodhäst, which is literally 'River Horse' :)
 
I've always liked the -- theoretically hippocidal, but whimsical -- little verse by Belloc:

I shoot the hippopotamus
With bullets made of platinum;
Because, if I use leaden ones,
His hide is sure to flatten 'em.
 
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