Hippopotamus Or River Horse Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and is the heaviest extant land artiodactyl. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the Hippopotamidae are cetaceans whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc., from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. Hippos are recognisable by their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths revealing large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, columnar legs and large size; adults average 1,500 kg 3,310 lb for bulls and 1,300 kg 2,870 lb for cows. Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it is capable of running 30 km/h 19 mph over short distances.