Hippopotamus
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
A hippopotamus can breathe with just its nostrils above the water.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Hippopotamus
- Scientific name
- Hippopotamus amphibius
- Japanese name
- カバ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Hippopotamidae
- Genus
- Hippopotamus
It lives in groups in the rivers, swamps and lakes of the African savanna.
During the sunny daytime it stays in or beside the water, and at night it comes onto land to eat grass.
How the Hippopotamus lives
At dusk, hippos leave the water and follow familiar paths to grassy areas. They use their lips to pull up grass. Herds sometimes sleep close together in shallow water.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 209–505 cmShoulder height: 150–165 cm上野動物園
- Weight
- 1,000–4,500 kg上野動物園
- Active
- By day and by nightUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Grass上野動物園
- Range
- Africa south of the Sahara上野動物園
Where the Hippopotamus has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- カバ
- 简体中文
- 河马
- 繁體中文
- 河馬
- 한국어
- 하마
- Español
- Hipopótamo común
- Français
- Hippopotame
- Deutsch
- Flusspferd
- Português (Brasil)
- Hipopótamo-comum
- Italiano
- Ippopotamo comune
- हिन्दी
- दरियाई घोड़ा
- العربية
- فرس النهر
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Kuda nil
- Tiếng Việt
- Hà mã
- Русский
- Обыкновенный бегемот
- Türkçe
- Su aygırı
- ไทย
- ฮิปโปโปเตมัส
- বাংলা
- জলহস্তী
- اردو
- دریائی گھوڑا
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — カバChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Hippopotamus amphibiusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Hippopotamus, look for this
- Look for the ears and eyes set high on its face.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Hippopotamus
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Hippopotamidae
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