Description
The river hippopotamus is the 3rd heaviest land mammal (after the elephant and white rhino). Hippos spend most of their day in the water and will often come onto land in order to bask in the sun, but they never wander too far so that they can easily slip back into the water if they become over-heated or dehydrated. The skin is very sensitive and will crack if exposed to direct sunlight for long. Hippos sleep underwater and sleeping hippos rise to breathe, resurfacing as automatically as breathing itself.