What Is a Hippopotamus?

View Transcript Hide Transcript Although they are awkward on land, hippos are great swimmers. They can hold their breath underwater for five minutes! © www.istockphoto.com/photoBlueIce

Although they are awkward on land, hippos are great swimmers. They can hold their breath underwater for five minutes!

Hippopotamuses, or hippos, are huge animals that spend most of their time in the water. They are mammals. They can stay underwater for up to five minutes. In deep water, a hippo can sink to the bottom of a lake or river, where it can take an underwater walk.

Hippos are peaceful animals that have no enemies except humans who hunt them.

The hippopotamus gets its strange name from the Greek language. Its name means “river horse.”