Area of zoo
Africa
Enclosure status
Open
Population in the wild
115,000-130,000
IUCN status
Vulnerable
Scientific name
Hippopotamus amphibius
Order
Cetartiodactyla
Type
Mammals
Family
Hippopotamidae
Region
Sub-SaharanAfrica
Habitat
Forests, grasslands and wetlands

Hippo facts

  • Hippos have very sensitive skin, which easily becomes dry and cracked. They can actually make their own 'sunscreen', which they secrete through their skin to keep it moist and protect them from the sun's rays. 
  • The word hippopotamus comes from the Ancient Greek meaning 'river horse'.
  • Hippos have very sensitive skin, which easily becomes dry and cracked. They can actually make their own 'sunscreen', which they secrete through their skin to keep it moist and protect them from the sun's rays. 
  • Common hippos lives in groups of 10-30 in rivers and lakes.
  • Common hippos nostrils on top to stick out of river for easy breathing
Common hippo Hordor at Whipsnade Zoo
Hordor the common hippo baby with mum Lola walking along grass at Whipsnade Zoo

Our common hippo family 

Hodor who was born in July 2017 and named after the loveable gentle giant from Game of Thrones. He loves to chase any ducks who are brave enough to enter his paddock. But don't worry, he's never quick enough to catch them. Hodor is a lot older now, but as a new born calf he weighed approximately 30kg at birth – about the same as an adult Labrador – and is dwarfed by his mother, Lola, who tips the scales at a mighty 1.5 tonnes.

Our hippo habitat has reed bed filtration which acts as a natural eco friendly way to keep the water pristine.

 

Common hippo yawning in a river in the wild
Common hippo group in a river in the wild

Common hippo threats

The biggest threats to common hippos are habitat loss caused by agriculture and illegal hunting for meat and the ivory in their canine teeth. This ivory is often found alongside elephant ivory during seizures. 

 

More facts about our animals

  • Asian elephants with an elephant calf
    Elephas maximus

    Asian elephants

    Asian elephants are more closely related to the extinct woolly mammoth than to the African elephant.

  • Reticulated giraffe Khari at Whipsnade Zoo
    Giraffa reticulata

    Reticulated giraffe

    Giraffes have the same number of neck bones as people, their heart beats twice as fast as human's and they stand at 2 metres tall as new a new born giraffe.

  • Chimps at Whipsnade Zoo
    Pan troglodytes

    Chimps

    Chimps are more closely related to humans than gorillas.

  • African penguins at Whipsnade Zoo
    Spheniscus demersus

    African penguin

    These penguins are from warm climates, coming from the beaches of South Africa and Namibia.

  • Ricky the rockhopper penguin at Whipsnade Zoo
    Eudyptes moseleyi

    Rockhopper penguin

    These small penguins pack in a big personality, and Ricky the rockhopper penguin is one of our most famous animals.

  • Two white rhinos at Whipsnade Zoo in their outdoor paddock with gemsbok in the background

    Southern white rhino

    White rhinos are the largest rhino species

  • African lion Khari lying in the grass at Whipsnade Zoo

    African lion

    Discover African lion facts before visiting our lion at Whipsnade Zoo

  • Greater one-horned rhino Hugo at Whipsnade Zoo

    Greater one-horned rhino

    Greater one-horned rhinos are the second largest species of rhino, after the white rhino

  • Our animals