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I want a hippopotomus for christmas
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
This hippopotomus was photographed during a trip to the Adelaide Zoo.
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek ἱπποπόταμος (hippopotamos, hippos meaning "horse" and potamos meaning "river"), often shortened to "hippo", is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other being the Pygmy Hippopotamus).
The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers and lakes in sub-Saharan Africa in large groups of up to 40 hippos. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water, where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippos rest near each other in territories in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land.
Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans—whales, porpoises and the like. The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around 60 million years ago. The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to the genus Kenyapotamus in Africa, date to around 16 million years ago. (Wikipedia) |
lovenature, SueThomson has marked this note useful
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Hi Mark
What a coincidence....I was playing that song on my ipod yesterday, it's really a catchy little tune.
A nice portrait of your Hippo....the lighting is a bit harsh but the details are nice and sharp. Good notes too.
TFS Janice
Hi Mark
A nice close up of this big guy. The image is nice and sharp and it is a nice pose.
Cheers
Sue
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