Why does a hippopotamus yawn

Lions, baboons and certain other mammals do the same thing. The gape is certainly not used in the feeding process as they seldom, if ever, eat vegetation other than short grass and occasionally other plants.

They lack cutting incisors and 'crop' the short vegetation with their broad, stiff lips. Being communal animals, the adapted, forward facing 'tushlike' bottom incisors are sometimes used for 'poking' away others in the group to make space. Still, not surprisingly, humans are for more dangerous to hippos than they are to us. Hippos are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation Nature.

Threats such as illegal hunting for their meat and ivory and habitat loss, exacerbated by drought, have lead to steep declines in hippo numbers in recent years, especially in areas of political and economic instability.

In addition to just being loud, they make some interesting sounds. Press play to hear for yourself:. Given their short, stubby legs and exceptional girth, it seems remarkable that hippos have been clocked running on land at 18 miles an hour over short distances and walk an average of six miles per night in search of food.

Hippos spend about 16 hours a day in the water. While awake, they can hold their breath for up to five minutes. While they sleep in the water, they surface automatically and breathe without waking up. There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time. Error: API requests are being delayed for this account.

There may be an issue with the Instagram Access Token that you are using. Error: No posts found. Make sure this account has posts available on instagram. Wild Nature. Yes, pink! The teeth of the hippos are ivory , but the ivory of the hippo tusks is softer than the ivory of the elephant tusks but, despite this aspect, unfortunately the hippos also ended up in the sights of poaching.

Another characteristic of the hippo's teeth is that the teeth sharpen on their own during chewing , and that when the molars are completely consumed, the animal will no longer be able to chew and starve to death.

Did you know that the hippo when yawning is actually threatening you?