Hippopotamus

The horse of the river…

The hippopotamus leads an amphibious life: during the day it is in the water, to protect itself from the sun, and goes ashore at night to feed. This led to various adaptations, including the eyes and nostrils located on the top of the skull, and the webbed fingers… As for its barrel shape, it allows it to walk on the bottom of the river with grace!
Although herbivorous, the hippopotamus is nevertheless a dangerous animal, not hesitating to charge when disturbed.

A couple of hippopotamuses are present in La Barben park, but to see them, you may have to be patient: they can easily stay 5 minutes in apnea! But maybe you’ll also be lucky enough to hear their powerful growls, emitted in the air or underwater…