Hippos Can't Swim?!?!?

Hippos Can't Swim?!?!?

Izzy

7/28/20

Today I found out that hippos can't actually swim -- I know, it surprised me too! They don't actually swim but are walking through the water or pushing off the bottom and propelling themselves through the water. I read the article, "Hippos Can't Swim--So How Do They Move Through Water?" from The Atlantic by Adrienne Lafrance who asked zoologists and wildlife parks about how the hippos actually move. One of the responses she got said that hippos are pretty much always touching the bottom or are using it for propulsion. The author included a video that showed a hippo charging at a boat, which made it even more impressive that they aren't technically swimming. The article states that hippos are often on two feet, sort of like they are walking. The actual definition of swimming (from Merriam Webster) is "to propel oneself in water by natural means (such as movements of the limbs, fins, or tail)." Since hippos rely on the ground to help them get around, it isn't really swimming. Lafrance wrote, "Hippos can do all this terrifying prancing because they've evolved with just the right combination of buoyancy and bone density to allow it." They are cute but we have to remember that they are dangerous--videos of them crushing whole watermelons in their mouths are a reminder of their huge teeth and powerful mouths. 

    I thought this was interesting because I never realized that there was a distinction between swimming and whatever it is that hippos do. They spend so much time in the water so I was surprised to find out that they aren't even swimming. Mom even said that she noticed when she went to the zoo recently with Ethan that the hippos gliding through the water and pushing off of the bottom of their pool at the zoo. I hadn't payed attention to this before reading the article and will make sure to look at the hippos next time I'm at the zoo.