ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

There is a Hippo in our house!

Updated on August 16, 2009

Meet Jessica, our 7 year old teenager.

When a newborn baby hippo was washed up by a flood onto the lawn of Tonie and Shirley Joubert's riverside home, Hoedspruit in South Africa, they lovingly nursed the dying animal back to health.

What started out as a cute bundle of joy, weighing 35lbs / 15kg is now a humongous 7 year old weighing 1 653lbs / 750kg!

Hello I am Jessica!
Hello I am Jessica!

My daily routine

She eats, sleeps, swims and plays with retired game ranger Tonie Joubert and his wife Shirley. Tonie is her favourite ‘man' she greets him with special grunts and moans, flicking her ears rather then her lashes! There is no daily routine, but certain preferences are not to be missed like her 10 litters of sweet warm coffee, which Tonie bottle-feeds her with every day. At night after a tiring day, hanging out with Tonie and the other pets on the farm, she enjoys a soothing, and relaxing massage from Shirley.

Me and my favourite man, Tonie
Me and my favourite man, Tonie
Whispering sweet words in my ear
Whispering sweet words in my ear

Meet my Family

Click thumbnail to view full-size
Having our conversation of the dayMy familyOut for a walkOn a picnicMe in the kitchen looking for my treatsYummy my favorite coffeeI don't like the vet very much.Playing with my matesHaving a snack with my friendsGetting rid of those fleasPlay time!A bit of comfort from my mom, ShirleyNow for some peace and quiteand for some shut eyeCan someone tel Bruno to settle downThat's much better.
Having our conversation of the day
Having our conversation of the day
My family
My family
Out for a walk
Out for a walk
On a picnic
On a picnic
Me in the kitchen looking for my treats
Me in the kitchen looking for my treats
Yummy my favorite coffee
Yummy my favorite coffee
I don't like the vet very much.
I don't like the vet very much.
Playing with my mates
Playing with my mates
Having a snack with my friends
Having a snack with my friends
Getting rid of those fleas
Getting rid of those fleas
Play time!
Play time!
A bit of comfort from my mom, Shirley
A bit of comfort from my mom, Shirley
Now for some peace and quite
Now for some peace and quite
and for some shut eye
and for some shut eye
Can someone tel Bruno to settle down
Can someone tel Bruno to settle down
That's much better.
That's much better.

After breaking the Joubert's double bed three times, she got restricted to the kitchen. Where a closed door doesn't bother her at all she just opens it, and totters through the living room, on her way to the kitchen, where mother Shirley gives her dog pellets, which is but one of her treats.

You mind moving up Jessica!
You mind moving up Jessica!

I got restricted after breaking the bed 3 Times!

Now I sleep on the porch
Now I sleep on the porch
Sleeping with my mate
Sleeping with my mate

Hippopotamus amphibius

Geographic Range

Historically, hippos have been found throughout all of subsaharan Africa, but most populations have been reduced or exterminated. Currently, the only large populations of hippos occur in the Nile river valley of East Africa.

Habitat

The preferred habitat of this species is deep water with adjacent reed beds and grasslands.

Physical Description

Mass

3000 to 4500 kg

(6600 to 9900 lbs)

The hippopotamus is typically a slate brown color to muddy brown, with purplish hues often visible. A massive animal, it measures 1500mm in height at the shoulder and has a length of 4310-5160 mm, of which about 560mm is tail. The eyes and nostrils protrude, allowing the animal to see and breathe while otherwise submerged in the water.

Reproduction

The hippopotamus is capable of breeding year round, but it experiences seasonal breeding peaks during February and August. The birth of young coinsides with months of peak rainfall, October and April. The female hippo experiences a three day estrus, during which she is mated by the resident bull. After a gestation of 227-240 days, the cow gives birth to a single calf, weighing 27-50 kg. Calves nurse underwater and are frequently seen riding upon their mothers' backs while the mother is in the water. Males reach sexual maturity in the wild between 6 and 14 years of age, whereas females are capable of breeding at 7-15 years of age.

Behavior

They are also highly aggressive creatures and have little fear of humans. They are considered among the most dangerous African animals.

Most human deaths occur when the unlucky victim finds himself between a startled hippo and the deep water. Females with young are especially dangerous.

The hippopotamus typically sleeps during the day and maintains activity at night. It is not, however, strictly nocturnal. Hippos may cover up to 33 km of water each night in search of food. They eat mainly the grasses along the shores of the rivers they inhabit, but they have been seen grazing up to 3.2 km from the shoreline.

Hippos are extremely graceful in the water, despite their clumsy appearance on land. Their specific gravity allows them to sink to the bottom of rivers and literally walk or run along the bottom.

Hippos may occur singly or in groups of up to 30 animals. The central core of social groups appears to be females with their dependent offspring. Adult males vie for control of these herds. Aggression between males is intense. The hippos use their long canine teeth as weapons, and death often results from fighting between males. Most adult male hides are covered with scars from injuries incurred during such fights. Losing males are often relagated to a solitary existence.

Food Habits

Hippopotamuses are primarily folivorous, grazing on grasses growing along the banks of their river habitats.

Conservation Status

The hippopotamus has been heavily hunted. In 1995 it was listed on CITES appendix II. One subspecies, Hippopotamus amphibius tschadensis, is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN 1996 Redlist.


Vulnerable.

CITES: http://www.cites.org/

Other Comments

For years, it was reported that the Hippopotamus would sweat blood. We know now that this is not true. The hippo's sweat contains a red pigment, which makes it resemble blood.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)