The female hippo reaches sexual maturity at 5 to 6 years of age, carrying the baby for 8 months. When the time comes for the baby to come out, the female hippo isolates herself from the herd, for anywhere from 10 to 44 days. The magic happens underwater and the baby is born alive. The mother hippopotamus takes care of her calf, nursing it underwater and occasionally giving it a ride on her back.

Baby hippos swim the moment they are born because they are born underwater. And female hippos are great nannies too, they will actually baby-sit a group of other female’s babies. Conservation status for the hippopotamus is worrying: these fascinat

1. The hippo is the third biggest land animal. It is slightly smaller, but heavier than a white rhino. The biggest land animal is the elephant.

2. A hippopotamus can run faster than a man.

3. A hippopotamus can stay under water for up to 30 minutes.

4. Did you know that baby hippos are born under-water!

5. The group of hippos is led by one large male. The other members are females, their young, and a few young adult males. The leader of the group keeps control of his mating territory by fighting off rivals.

6. The family group of hippos spends most of the day in the water. Staying submerged helps a hippo stay cool in the hot, tropical climate where it lives.

7. It's an excellent swimmer and can hold its breath for about five minutes. Hippos can even walk along the bottoms of rivers and lakes.

8. At dusk, hippos leave their watery daytime spot, lumber onto land, and walk as far as 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the water to graze on short grasses, their main food.

9. Grazing until dawn, a hippo may eat up to 150 pounds (68 kilograms) of grass a night. They avoid the heat of the sun by returning to a river or lake before sunrise.