# Hippopotamus (*Hippopotamus amphibius*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/hippopotamus  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is a mammal in the family Hippopotamidae and the order Artiodactyla, also called Hippo, Sea-cow, Nile hippo, Large hippo or Common hippo. It falls in the giant size class, with a representative adult body mass of 1.417 tonnes and values up to 2.64 tonnes, and it is a herbivore whose main food is grass. The hippopotamus is nocturnal and terrestrial, has 1 young per litter after a gestation period of 234.7 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 4 years. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category, and its lifespan is given as 54.5 years, with values up to 61.2 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.42 t – 2.64 t |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 54.5 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 61.2 years |
| Main food | grass |
| Habitat | riverine |
| Gestation | 235 days – 244 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 3.5 years – 4.53 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.61 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Hippopotamidae
- genus: Hippopotamus
- species: *Hippopotamus amphibius* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Hippopotamus amphibius amphibius*, *Hippopotamus amphibius capensis*, *Hippopotamus amphibius kiboko*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a hippopotamus?

The hippopotamus is a mammal in the family Hippopotamidae and the order Artiodactyla.

### How heavy is a hippopotamus?

An adult hippopotamus has a representative body mass of 1.417 tonnes, with values up to 2.64 tonnes reported.

### What does a hippopotamus eat?

The hippopotamus is a herbivore, and its main food is grass.

### Is the hippopotamus endangered?

The hippopotamus is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a hippopotamus live?

The lifespan of the hippopotamus is given as 54.5 years, with values up to 61.2 years reported.

### How many young does a hippopotamus have?

A hippopotamus has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.61 litters per year, after a gestation period of 234.7 days.

### At what age does a hippopotamus reach sexual maturity?

A hippopotamus reaches sexual maturity at 4 years (1,467 days), with reported values from 3.5 to 4.5 years.

### Who named the hippopotamus?

The scientific name Hippopotamus amphibius was given by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hippopotamus