True Facts: Hippopotamus

Special Thanks to:

Dr Eduardo J Fernandez, University of Adelaide
Dr Jonas Schoelynck, University of Antwerp
Dr Julio de Castro
Dr Frank Fish, West Chester University
Dr Maria Maust-Mohl, Manhattan College
Dr Christopher Dutton, University of Florida
Dr Joseph Dudley, University of Alaska
Dr Todd McWhorter, University of Adelaide
Dr Victoria Inman, NSW Dept. of Planning and Environment
Dr Philip Gingerich, University of Michigan
Dr Rebecca Lewison, San Diego State University

Peter Geraerdts

Lex Hollmann @LexHollmann
Johan Vermeulen | The Nature Box @thenatureboxfilms
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance @SanDiegoZoo
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo @ZslOrg1826
Prof. Gordon T. Taylor

Latest Sightings @Latestsightings
Newsflare
Shutterstock
Pond5
iStock by Getty Images
Envato Elements

Citations

Blowers, Tracy, "Social Grouping Behaviors Of Captive Female Hippopotamus Amphibius" (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3459.

Gingerich PD, Haq Mu, Zalmout IS, Khan IH, Malkani MS. Origin of whales from early artiodactyls: hands and feet of Eocene Protocetidae from Pakistan. Science. 2001 Sep 21;293(5538):2239-42. doi: 10.1126/science.1063902. Epub 2001 Sep 19. PMID: 11567134.

Gray NM, Kainec K, Madar S, Tomko L, Wolfe S. Sink or swim? Bone density as a mechanism for buoyancy control in early cetaceans. Anat Rec (Hoboken). 2007 Jun;290(6):638-53. doi: 10.1002/ar.20533. PMID: 17516430.

Sulman J R, Madelyn G C, Irina A K. Correlation of Bone Density in Aquatic and Semiaquatic Animals to Ecological and Dietary Specializations. Open Acc Res Anatomy. 2(3). OARA.000537.2020.
DOI: 10.31031/OARA.2020.02.000537

[trumpeterjen]

The part where the hippo is baring its teeth at the rhino to try and use its intimidation factor is hilarious once you're aware of how weak a rhino's vision and intellect are.
Hippo: "COME AT ME BRO"
Rhino: "I literally can't see anything, so I'm just going to impale you until you go away"

[midoriya-shonen]

"I did that for you, Jerry" nearly a decade of character growth has brought us to this point

[BumroyV]

I remember reading that hippos were the one animal Steve Irwin refused to get near to. That's how unpredictably violent they are.

[indigofenix]

My favorite hippo fact is that they are not fat at all - their bodies are almost solid muscle, with only about 2% body fat, significantly less than even the most athletic humans. They look big and round because that's just the shape of hippo muscles, and the only reason you can't see the definition is because they have extremely thick skin (about 2-6 inches thick) covering it.

[RevokFarthis]

I absolutely love Ze's little "kill me" whenever he makes a pun

[kristenjustkristen]

That last shot with the lion really does show their true size and strength.
Amazing work and amazing animals!

[benjaminwelkens]

“It’s a sad thing but a true thing”
I can’t recall a time I’ve heard such genuine pain in his voice

[pineapplemilkify]

I appreciate the fact that he always includes his sources and includes a works cited bit in the credits. Makes it easier to do research on your own ❤

[gammagong]

We're reaching 'Dad Joke' critical mass.
And I'm here for it.

[rickuslastname]

"it's a sad thing, but a true thing"
Might as well be life's motto

[morley]

That second lion at the end abandoned his buddy so fast. "Good luck with the giant angry potato, Dave! I'm heading out!"

[armchairgravy]

I did not know hippos are land whales, nor manatees are aquatic elephants. You truly are an educator.

[camronsavell]

Telling the hippopotamisses from the hippopotamisters broke me. Great job. Love this channel and wish you could narrate all sorts of things.

[jpdoe]

I love how when watching Ze Frank videos you have to keep yourself from losing your shit so you don't miss the next joke. Just outrageously hilarious and informative at the same time

[averynelson]

HIGHLY recommend that anyone who wants more baby hippo footage look up the journey of Fiona from the Ohio Zoo. She was born prematurely and the zoo staff basically had to forge brand new hippo care methods to keep her alive long enough to reunite with adult parents. Really cutting-edge zoo science. And she was adorable, too. They were very successful. She's a teenager now, basically, and she has a little brother.

[shmoogersgoml]

Truly hope that you, Mr. Ze Frank, enjoy these videos as much as the millions of us. They only continue to get better.

[DanGamingFan]

After being blessed with the "oppih", we finally get a True Facts about its closest relative and one of my favorite animals. And as always, Ze Frank doesn't disappoint.

[juandeandrade]

I grew up in a small town called Richard's Bay in South Africa, a place known for their hippos and crocodiles. It's a coastal town. However, there are lakes in which hippos reside, and they ran down to the sea.

One time, my friend and I planned to swim across a closed area of sea, sort of like a mini-man-made bay. We knew to keep away from the lakes, which were relatively close by as we didn't have a death wish. We started to swim. About half way into our swim we heard this clicking sound under water. We both stopped and looked at eachother puzzled but we couldn't see anything around us so we just brushed it off. We continued to swim and that clicking sound persisted. We stopped again and, I shit you not, about 10 meters from us we saw that familiar hidden face just chilling out the water. Scariest moment of my life. We grow up knowing that hippos have killed more people than any other land animal and knew we were in serious trouble. In that moment, I knew that if the hippo wanted to kill us, it already would have. So my friend and I, without trying to rush, just swam to the nearest land. I have no idea how we made it out out alive but we survived. Honestly thought I was going to die that day.

It's true what Zefrank says about their unpredictable nature. I'm sure if it was a young bull, or a mother with her pup, we wouldn't have lived to tell the tale

[Windthin]

Love this. My favorite fact about the hippo is that it RUNS through the water and the water better get the heck out of the way if it knows what's good for it. They actually wear down trails that change the course of rivers. Amazing.

[sciencenerd]

The part about how the silica from the grass gets used by the diatoms blew my mind. Diatoms were already one of my favorite microbes, now that I know they outcompete green algae, that's just one more reason to love diatoms.