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After elephants, Nile hippos are the largest land animals, weighing up to eight or nine thousand pounds. Unlike elephants, hippos spend their days in the water, which might make it seem silly to ask: can hippos swim?

Given their size, one might answer "no" because hippos seem too heavy to swim. One would be wrong. The hippo's fat makes it buoyant so it can float very well. On the other hand, if you said "no" you are quite right. Hippos do not really swim. Their method of travel is very simple: they walk, or bound, if underwater.

Like many people, hippos enjoy resting in cool water and can let themselves float or sink by controlling their breathing and body position. Once sunk, hippos don't swim back up to the surface: they walk along the bottom till they reach shallow water. Unlike people, hippos can hold their breath for minutes at a time.

Far from the lumbering giants they seem to be, hippos can trot, jog and run at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour, with spurts as fast as 30 miles per hour. Although poachers hunt hippos and sell their teeth as an alternative to elephant ivory, you still might see one, if you're lucky enough to travel to sub-Saharan Africa. But, don't get too close: they are more agile than they appear.

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14y ago
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15y ago

i dont really know but i belive so

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11y ago

in the zoo and a lake i think

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15y ago

both

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Q: Do hippos swim above or below the water?
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Related questions

Do rattlesnakes swim above or below water?

above the water


Can hippos swim fast?

Hippos can swim up to 7 mps.


Why do hippos swim?

Hippos can't swim! Their bodies are to dense to float!


How fast hippos swim?

Hippos don't swim...they run along the bottom of the river.


What do hippos like to do?

Hippos like to swim they. swim more than half of their day.


Where do hippos swim?

they swim in lakes or ponds but they do not swim in oceans


How fast can hippos swim?

Adult hippos can't swim. This may seem odd since they do spend a lot of time in the water. They hold their breath well and are adapted in many ways for semiaquatic life. But they can't swim. In fact adult hippos can't even float, probably because they're too dense, and although they look fat, their percentage of fat is low.


How do hippos get water?

They drink water from a pond or a stream. It's pretty simple people!! :)


Do you experience more pressure when you swim on the surface?

No. You experience greater and greater pressure as you swim farther and farther below the surface of the water. This is because there is a greater height of water pressing down on you from above.


How do you swim under water in spore hero?

you can only swim above water


Can hippos swim?

Yes they can swim at an average of 6 mph.I think they can also flyAdult hippos can't swim. This may seem odd since they do spend a lot of time in the water. They hold their breath well and are adapted in many ways for semiaquatic life. But they can't swim. In fact adult hippos can't even float, probably because they're too dense, and although they look fat, their percentage of fat is low.Since they can't swim they navigate the water by walking on the bottom.


Why can't hippos float in water?

Given their size, one might say hippos can't float because hippos seem too heavy to swim. One would be wrong. The hippo's fat makes it buoyant so it can float very well. On the other hand Hippos do not really swim. Their method of travel is very simple: they walk, or bound, if underwater.