Vocabulary
Grade Level: 7
Overview:
Overview: All organisms have adaptations that help them survive, thrive and
reproduce. Adaptations are the way an animal is made and how it acts. Any
behavioral or physical characteristics of an animal that help it to survive in its
environment has been developed and perfected over time. Animals that are
better adapted to their environment survive and breed. The characteristics
that help a species survive are passed on to future generations.
LIMBS International is an organization that exemplifies the use of human
ingenuity and technology, plus compassion, to help humans adapt and survive
in their environment. By creating low-cost, yet durable and flexible,
prosthetics to help amputees live a normal life despite the tragedy of losing a
leg! They are also creating a way for poor people in developing nations to not
be dependent on people from developed countries for the repair and up-keep
of these prosthetics, but LIMBS trains local clinics on how to fit and fix them in
their own country for low-cost with parts that can be found at the local store.
This is an example of creating sustainability, empowering developing nations,
and global partnering for the greater good.
In this lesson students will:

Adaptation,

Structural

Behavioral

Camouflage

Migration

Evolution

Habitat

Environment

Survival

Predator

Prey

Territorial

Nocturnal

Reproduce,

Adapt

Analyze how structural and behavioral adaptations help organisms
survive and reproduce

Observe and identify specific adaptations

Collect, analyze and draw conclusions based on data

Present their research findings orally to the class

Create a visual presentation

Read a fact sheet article (expository text), and analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the
expository text

Provide evidence from text to support their understanding of expository text

Develop 21st century skills of team work, problem solving and communication

View a video about LIMBS International

Describe adaptations exhibited by the hippopotamus
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Students learn:

What animal adaptations are

Why animal adaptations are important

How to differentiate types of animal adaptations and how they serve different animals

How human ingenuity, and compassion, in the form of engineers, scientists, doctors are creating ways for
humans to more positively interact, survive and thrive in our natural world
Students will be able to:

Understand the needs of others in less fortunate, developing countries

Appreciate the work of charitable organizations which provide help around the world

Work in teams to create a presentation

Explain the difference between structural and behavioral adaptations

Identify adaptations that help plants and animals survive in various climates and environments.

Gain understanding of the different functions of adaptations.
Essential Questions:

How does the variation among individuals affect their survival?

How do the structures and functions of living things allow them to meet their needs?
Levels of Thinking:

Comprehension (Explain, retell)

Application (show, practice)

Analysis (compare and contrast)

Synthesis (create, design, discuss)

Evaluation (Support)
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Materials:
Website www.Limbs.org Videos
Promotional (Time – 3:04)
LIMBS Patient Stories (Time – 5:48)
Teacher Background Information on adaptations – Teacher preparation of this material into hand-out or
presentation on board for notes and discussion (See attached)
Hippopotamus News Article (See Attached)
Hands-on Activity Materials:

Plastic spoons, tweezers, clothes pins with springs, popsicle sticks

Gummi worms, skittles, uncooked rice, chocolate chips, cooked spaghetti

Paper or plastic cups, Styrofoam plates or meat trays
Cardstock, art supplies
Graph paper, pencils, rulers
Research materials on animals, computer web search capabilities, textbooks
Day 1
Teacher Introduction:
Animals and humans have to adapt to our environment in order to survive. If you had your leg cut off in a motorcycle
accident, how would you react? How would you need to adapt to your new life? What would you do to not only
survive, but thrive in your new life?
Take some answers from students. Discuss things like prosthetic legs, how you would drive a car, how you would take
a shower, how you would play sports, ride a bike, what kind of job you could get, etc…
TEACHER:
Teacher shows video from LIMBS International website.
There are two videos you can show. Preview the videos to decide whether you want to show one or both. The video
that goes with this lesson is titled: LIMBS Patient Stories (Time - 5:48) This video shows the stories of two patients who
lose their leg, one from a civil war and one from a hippo attack. The basis of this lesson will begin with why hippos
would attack humans when they are herbivores, so this is the important video to show.
The other video provides a more general informational piece on LIMBS - Promotional (on front home page, Time 3:04)
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Class Discussion - Teacher asks students:
What human technology and/or ingenuity is helping the amputees adapt to their environment and their life’s
activities?
Answer: LIMBS International (headed up by Roger Gonzalez, and engineering professor who is president of LIMBS
International) is creating low-cost, yet durable and flexible, prosthetics to help amputees live a normal life despite the
tragedy of losing a leg! They are also creating a way for poor people in developing nations to not be dependent on
people from developed countries for their repair and up-keep of these prosthetics, but they are trained in how to fit
and fix them in their own country for low-cost with parts that can be found at the local store. The knee they have
created is durable, lightweight and helps people live normal lives. The knee can bend, which helps people do normal
work and recreational activities.
How does this video demonstrate how human ingenuity is helping people interact and thrive in our environment?
Answer: The knee they have created is durable, flexible and helps people live normal lives. The knee can bend, which
helps people do normal work and recreational activities.
**If this is your students’ first time learning about LIMBS International, you may want to continue the discussion…If
they have previously learned of LIMBS, you may want to skip this next part until the Lesson Continues…
Teacher says:
LIMBS International is helping people respond to natural disasters, challenges in their life, as well as thrive in their
environment despite challenges. Some key terms are associated with LIMBS International, such as: technology,
sustainability, self-sustaining and empowering…
(Teacher may choose to write these on the board.)
Teacher asks Students:
Who can tell me what those terms mean and how they relate to LIMBS International? Teacher may choose to watch
the LIMBS Promotional video if you have not yet watched it, to have students listening for those specific words and be
able to describe them. Have students take notes this time while watching the video. Discuss as a class.
What do these phrases from the LIMBS International Website mean to you?

Sustainable Solutions for the World

Design, Create, Test and Train
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Student activity:
Have students individually reflect and respond on the article and the LIMBS International video – by writing their
thoughts on an index card or piece of paper, or in their journal.
Prompts for their writing: How do you feel about the work LIMBS International is doing? Is this an organization you
might want to help? What charitable organizations have you learned about in the past? How does LIMBS compare to
other charity organizations you have heard of or been involved with?
Have some students share their reflections. You may want to have a short discussion about their reflections.
Lesson Continues…
Teacher Asks the students:
Can anyone tell me why a hippopotamus would attack a human?
Take some answers/guesses…Tell the students the answer –
Hippos are territorial animals. Territorial means they will defend their territory The reason for such protective
behavior is usually to acquire and protect food sources, nesting sites, protection of young/babies, mating areas, or to
attract a mate.
Defending Territory is an example of a Behavioral Adaptation. A behavioral adaptation is something an animal does
– how it acts – in order to survive and thrive in its environment.
Visual Attention Getter: Show some pictures of hippos attacking…
Google images has some good pictures of hippos attacking humans and other animals, as well as chasing a .
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Believe it or not, the hippopotamus is the most dangerous animal in Africa. Apart from mosquitoes which carry the
deadly disease, Malaria, hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal. Almost 3000 people per year! Hippos
are the most aggressive animal in the world! They weigh 6,000 pounds and can run at 30 km per hour, which is much
faster than humans can run. They are extremely territorial in the water, where they spend most of the day, but on
land, when they come out to graze on plants at night, territory is not really an issue. But don’t get between a hippo
and the water, those jaws will snap you in half like a twig!
Why are hippos territorial and aggressive?




Males are territorial only in water, not at night on land
Territories defended for mating rights, not food
Males defend their immediate vicinity in water
Females may be aggressive defending their young
Teacher: Have a class discussion and give some notes on Animal Adaptations:
Key points:
All organisms have adaptations that help them survive and thrive in their environment. Both plants and animals have
adaptations.
Structural adaptations are physical features of an organism like the type of bill on a bird, having webbed feet, having
white fur in the snow, or a lion having sharp claws. Camouflage is a good example to discuss.
Behavioral adaptations are the things organisms do to survive, for example - bird calls, mating rituals, migration,
defending territory, swarming, and hibernation.
Specific Examples:
Behavioral - Nocturnal - Many herbivores are easy prey during the daylight hours. So mice and other prey animals look
for food at night. Some predators, such as owls and leopards have adapted to nocturnal life in order to prey on nightroaming creatures. Mice search for food at night. Owls have adapted to nocturnal hunting to prey on mice.
Structural – Spotted fur – this is a body covering, like stripped fur, that serves as camouflage. Many animals with
spotted fur live in heavily wooded forest areas, like the rain forest. The spotted fur helps it blend in with the small
patches of sun that reach the rain-forest floor.
Adaptations are the result of evolution. Evolution is a change in a species over long periods of time.
Over time, animals that are better adapted to their environment survive and breed. Animals that are not well adapted
to an environment may not survive.
The traits that help a species survive in an environment are passed on to future generations. Those characteristics that
don’t help the species survive slowly disappear.
Environment – everything that surrounds and affects a living thing. The environment includes non-living things, such as
water and air, as well as other living things
Habitat – The place where an animal lives.
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Have students think about why animals have certain adaptations:
Elephant – trunk
Shark – sense of smell
Giraffe – neck
Lion – color, claws
Polar bear – coat, color, claws
Goat – surefootedness
Gecko – detachable tail
Skunk – smell
Tree Frog – bright Colors
Whale – migration
Bird - migration
Student Activity:
Teacher says:
We are going to study the hippopotamus in order to identify and differentiate between structural (physical) and
behavioral adaptations.
Have the students read the Hippo Article (Expository Text)
Students can read in groups with paper copies, OR project the article up on the board for all students to read –
popcorn style (taking turns reading aloud by teacher picking, or other strategies of reading aloud.)
Have students work in a group or pairs to make a list of all the structural adaptations and the behavioral
adaptations they find in the reading. They should make a T-chart or some other graphic organizer to keep the
information organized. Students are to list the reasons why the hippo has each adaptation.
Structural Adaptation
Excrete a reddish oil from skin - To protect sensitive
skin from sunburn, infection and dehydration
Behavioral Adaptation
Poop flinging – Territory Marking
Have the students share their information with the class and discuss. Make sure to correct the students if they have an
adaptation in the incorrect place. Sometimes, it can get confusing for students. The teacher should read the
information in advance and make a key for grading/discussing.
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Day 2 - 3
Teacher Discussion (Recap of first day):
If time allows, find some really unique examples of plant and animal adaptations. Nature is AMAZING and there are so
many cool things to explore and show your students on the presentation station! Students love these unique and
awesome examples of plant and animal adaptations – some are totally weird, some are amazing, and some are gross!
There are amazing examples of both physical and behavioral adaptations by searching the web. LiveScience.com has
some interesting articles when you type in Animal Adaptations into the search bar. One article is about Death Valley
(the hottest place on earth) and how animals have adapted to survive there. Tortoises have the ability to concentrate
their urine. They can go a year without drinking! "Apparently, when they let it go, it's really stinky." said Linda
Manning, a wildlife biologist for Death Valley National Park.
Student Activity:
Hands-on Activity: What Beak Fits the Bill?
Materials:
Beaks: Plastic spoons, Tweezers, popsicle sticks, clothes pins with springs (choose 3)
Food Items: Gummy worms , cooked spaghetti noodles, chocolate chips, uncooked rice, skittles (you can choose
3)
Paper/plastic cups
Paper/Styrofoam plates (Teacher Tip: visit your local supermarket and ask if you can have some Styrofoam meat trays.
They are a great way to keep manipulatives like beads and rice off the floor when students are working, and often the
grocery store will donate these items free to teachers.)
Process:
Have the students get into pairs.
Tell the students they are testing which “beak” is better in gathering a variety of foods.
Distribute plastic spoons, a cup and gummy worms to each student. Give them 10 seconds to gather as many worms as
they can and put them in their cup.
Have the students record the number gathered.
Repeat process with the spaghetti noodles or uncooked rice and record
Repeat process with the chocolate chips or skittles and record
Distribute the tweezers or clothes pins and repeat the entire process, using the SAME foods that were used the first
time.
Distribute the popsicle sticks and repeat the entire process, using the SAME foods that were used the first time.
Have the students compile their data and record which tool worked best and why.
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Optional Math Add-on: Have students graph their data
Ask the students to apply this knowledge to birds in the wild. What kind of foods do birds eat? What kind of beaks are
best for different kinds of food?
Discuss their results. Relate this to structural adaptations, and how beaks have developed depending on the bird’s
habitat, the types of foods that the bird eats, and what foods are available.
Application and Reflection:
Show some pictures of different birds on the presentations station, and discuss with the students what they may eat
depending on the shape of their beak! Have the students guess based on the picture of the bird and beak before giving
them the bird’s actual food choice!
A cool interactive page on the web can be used on the presentation station. One I found that was already done is at
this link: http://www.vtaide.com/png/bird-adaptations3.htm
Student Activity Day 3:
Assignment: Research project and oral presentation:
Directions:
Put students into groups of 2, 3 or 4 depending on the class size.
Students can choose their project , choose one –
Develop a list of “why do” or “how” or “what” questions and answer 10 of their questions with research and data to
support their answers. Create a visual presentation to display the information and present this information orally to
the class. Examples: Why do tigers have stripes? Why do roses have thorns? How do animals survive in the extreme
heat of the desert? What adaptations to tortoises have to survive in the desert heat?
Choose one animal and provide 5 physical adaptations and 5 behavioral adaptations for that specific animal. An
explanation of how each adaptation helps the animal survive, thrive or reproduce in its habitat must be included.
Choose a habitat – dessert, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, grassland, tropical rain forest, tundra – provide 10
different adaptations that plants or animals have in order to live in their habitat. Give specific examples of what
animals or plants have this adaptation.
Choose ONE structural or behavioral adaptation and describe 10 different plants or animals that have this adaptation.
Explain WHY they have this adaptation and how it helps them to survive, thrive and reproduce. You could choose any
ONE…camouflage, mimicry, migration, hibernation, nocturnal, territorial, etc…
Allow students time for research, using computer, library media, etc.
Allow students time to design their visual aid and oral presentation.
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Final project must include –

Visual Aid

Oral presentation giving summary and answering questions
Have student groups present their research project and explain their visual presentation orally to the class.
Lesson Conclusion:
**If time allows, find some more really unique examples of plant and animal adaptations. LiveScience.com, National
Geographic.com, Discovery Channel.com, etc…Nature is AMAZING and there are so many cool things to explore and
show your students on the presentation station! Students love these unique and awesome examples of plant and
animal adaptations – some are totally weird, some are amazing, and some are gross!
End the multi-day lesson with a class discussion on how plants and animals adapt to survive in their environment.
Remind them that adaptations occur over time. Changes in an ecosystem always affect plants and animals. Some
changes may be so harmful that some plants and animals are destroyed. Other changes may be so big that only plants
and animals that adapt, or change over time, survive.
Bring the discussion back to the LIMBS videos…how are humans adapting to their new life of only have one leg? How
are other humans helping them adapt to survive and thrive? (Answer: Human ingenuity and compassion are coupled
together with the LIMBS International mission of providing the low-cost and durable prosthetics to help people live
more productive and meaningful lives!!!)
Teacher may choose to have students reflect/respond in a journal or complete a written reflection for homework…
Idea - they may choose a habitat or an animal or a type of adaptation and describe it and give examples. For example,
in the cold, snowy habitat of the Arctic areas, many animals have adapted by their fur coat being white. The Arctic fox
has a brown coat in the summer months and that brown coat is replaced by a white coat in the winter months to blend
into its surroundings.
Recap of Lesson
In this lesson, students learn to differentiate between the structural and behavioral adaptations of animals. They learn
about the importance such adaptations and how these play in the role of the animal’s survival in specific climates or
environments.
In order to live within their ecosystems, plants and animals behave in special ways. Behavior in ecology refers to how
animals eat, sleep, communicate and reproduce. Behavior in ecology also means how plants and animals cope with
changes in their environments.
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Changes in an ecosystem always affect plants and animals – including humans. Droughts, floods, temperatures and
rainfall affect ecosystems. Some changes may be so harmful that some plants and animals are destroyed. Other changes may be so big that only plants and animals that adapt, or change over time, will survive.
The gradual change of plants and animals to suit their environment is called adaptation
Adaptation – a body part, body covering, or behavior that helps an animal survive and reproduce in its environment
Structural – Camouflage, Mimicry, Eye membranes, Night Vision, beaks, webbed feet, thick fur, wings/flying, sharp
claws, whiskers, sharp teeth, scales, brightly colored feathers
Behavioral – Migration, Hibernation, Nocturnal, Territorial, Mating Rituals, Swarming
Relate this to People . . .
Adapt to Their Environment
Modify Their Environment
Depend on Their Environment
The environment & people are interconnected.
Consequences to those actions depend upon how people choose to interact with the world and use their resources.

Positive/Negative

Intentional/Accidental

Favorable/Destructive
Current Environmental Issues: These affect the world’s plant and animal populations

Climate Change (global warming)

Water Conservation

Deforestation
How humans change the environment can cause animals to adapt, or change over time, in order to survive, thrive
and reproduce.
If the environment is changed too much or destroyed by humans, this has harmful effects on humans and some
organisms are destroyed forever
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Adaptations Background Information
Adaptations are any behavioral or physical characteristics of an organism that help it to survive in its environment.
These characteristics fall into three main categories: body parts, body coverings, and behaviors. Any or all of these
types of adaptations play a critical role in the survival of an animal.
A physical adaptation is some type of structural modification made to a part of the body. Examples:
 Webbed feet
 Sharp Claws
 Large beaks
 Wings/Flying
 Feathers
 Fur
 Scales
 Camouflage (protective coloration)
Mimicry
A Behavioral Adaptation is something an animal does - how it acts - usually in response to some type of external
stimulus.
 What an animal is able to eat
 How an animal moves
How an animal may protect itself or its young
Behavioral Adaptations Examples:
 Migration
 Hibernation
 Defending Territory
 Swarming
 Nocturnal
 Food Sources
 Mating rituals
 Communication
Key points:
All organisms have adaptations that help them survive and thrive in their environment. Both plants and animals have
adaptations.
Specific Examples:
Behavioral - Nocturnal - Many herbivores are easy prey during the daylight hours. So mice and other prey animals look
for food at night. Some predators, such as owls and leopards have adapted to nocturnal life in order to prey on nightroaming creatures. Mice search for food at night. Owls have adapted to nocturnal hunting to prey on mice.
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Structural – Spotted fur – this is a body covering, like stripped fur, that serves as camouflage. Many animals with
spotted fur live in heavily wooded forest areas, like the rain forest. The spotted fur helps it blend in with the small
patches of sun that reach the rain-forest floor.
Adaptations are the result of evolution. Evolution is a change in a species over long periods of time. Over time, animals that are better adapted to their environment survive and breed. Animals that are not well adapted to an environment may not survive. The traits that help a species survive in an environment are passed on to future generations.
Those characteristics that don’t help the species survive slowly disappear.
Environment – everything that surrounds and affects a living thing. The environment includes non-living things, such as
water and air, as well as other living things
Habitat – The place where an animal lives.
An animal’s body covering is one clearly visible adaptation. Body coverings help to protect the animals in diverse environments – from the land to water, from the arctic to desert. Some animals have different coverings: the armadillo
has plates, the porcupine has quills, birds have feathers, reptiles have scales, and bears have fur. Body coverings can
be for insulation, protection, camouflage, defense… Eyelashes or eye membranes protect the eyes. Fur or blubber insulates and keeps an animal warm.
This relates to the Bird Beak Hands-on Activity:
Adaptations often occur because a gene mutates or changes by accident. Some mutations can help an animal or plant
survive better than others in the species without the mutation. For example, imagine a bird species. One day a bird is
born with a beak that is longer than the beak of other birds in that species. The longer beak helps the bird catch more
food, it is healthier than the other birds, lives longer and breeds more. The bird passes the gene for a longer beak on
to its offspring. They also live longer and have more offspring and the gene continues to be inherited generation after
generation. Eventually, the longer beak can be found in all of the species. This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes hundreds of years for that one mutation to be found in the entire species.
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Facts and photos about Africa's most dangerous animals were recently published in a documentary played on BBC. This top 10 list of Africa's most deadly
animals includes: the hippo, lion, crocodile, mosquito, black mamba, great
white shark, buffalo, elephant, puff adder, and of course man himself.
1. Hippopotamus
Believe it or not, the Hippopotamus is the most dangerous animal in Africa. Apart from mosquitoes
which carry the deadly disease, Malaria, hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal. Almost
3000 people per year! Hippos are one of the most aggressive animals in the world! They weigh 6,000 – 9,000
pounds and can run at 20 miles per hour, which is much faster than humans can run. Hippos have enormous
jaws which host up to 20 inch canines. They are extremely territorial in the water, where they spend most of
the day, but on land, when they come out to graze on plants at night, territory is not really an issue. But
don’t get between a hippo and the water, those jaws will snap you in half like a twig!
Why are hippos territorial and aggressive?

Males are territorial only in water, not at night on land

Territories defended for mating rights, not food

Males defend their immediate vicinity in water

Females may be aggressive defending their young
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
The hippopotamus is an herbivorous mammal that inhabits African rivers and streams south of the Sahara Desert.
Third in size among land animals only to the elephant and the white rhinoceros, the male hippopotamus can weigh
more than 9,000 pounds. Most closely related to whales, hippopotamuses are highly territorial and rank among the
most aggressive mammals in the world. The name “hippopotamus” comes from a Greek word meaning “water horse”
or “river horse.” But hippos are not related to horses at all – in fact, their closest living relative is the whale. There are
two species of hippopotamus: the river, or common, hippo and the much smaller pygmy hippo.
Hippos are definitely adapted for life in the water and are found living in slow-moving rivers and lakes, mud holes
or streams. With their eyes, ears and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see and breathe while most of
their body is underwater. Hippos also have a set of built-in goggles: a clear membrane covers their eyes for protection
while allowing them to see underwater. Their nostrils close, and they can hold their breath for longer than 5 minutes
when submerged. Hippos can even sleep underwater, using a reflex that allows them to bob up, take a breath, and sink
back down without waking up. Yet, despite all these adaptations for life in the water, hippos can’t swim. Their bodies
are too dense to float, so they move around by pushing off from the bottom of the river or simply walking along the
riverbed in a slow motion gallop, lightly touching the bottom with their slightly webbed toes, like aquatic ballet
dancers.
Even with their size and reputation for aggression, some brave animals do prey upon hippos, most especially the
babies and old or injured. Predators including crocodiles, lions and hyenas.
In this article, we will explore this amazing creature of Africa in more detail.
Sense Organs
Hippopotamuses, which spend much of their time in water, possess adaptations that make this habit possible, such as
eyes, ears and nostrils positioned high on their head. The location of these sense organs allows the animal to see, hear,
breathe and smell above the water while keeping the rest of its bulky body submerged. The nostrils close when the hippopotamus dips its head below the water. The ears also close to prevent water from entering and sitting in the ears.
Hippopotamuses can also see underwater thanks to a clear membrane that protects their eyes, like humans wearing
goggles. Moreover, it is believed that the hippopotamus's lower jawbone allows it to distinguish sounds underwater, as
in whales and dolphins.
Sweat
To compensate for its lack of sweat glands, the pores of the hippopotamus ooze a thick, red substance that is easily
mistaken for blood. This discharge protects the animal from sunburn and helps keep its skin moist, and protects it from
dehydration. Biologists believe that this secretion has antiseptic properties that prevent the hippopotamus's skin and
open wounds from becoming infected when it comes into contact with unclean waters.
Feet
The hippopotamus belongs to the order artiodactyla, which includes hoofed animals with an even number of toes. Hippopotamuses have four toes on each foot that are separated by webbing that fans out to distribute their enormous
weight. The foot construction allows them to maintain their balance while walking on land and river bottoms. The hippo doesn’t swim, it wades and walks in the water.
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Feeding Adaptations
Hippopotamuses have thick lips and wide snouts that are designed for grazing. Their largely inactive lifestyle goes hand
in hand with their diet, which consists of amounts of grasses that are tiny in relation to their size and therefore do not
provide much energy. A hippopotamus's stomach can hold two days' worth of food, according to the San Diego Zoo. If
necessary, hippopotamuses can forgo eating for up to three weeks.
Teeth
The incisor and canine teeth of hippopotamuses -- used for fighting rather than eating, to defend territory and mating
rights -- grow incessantly throughout their life. The lower canines of the male hippopotamuses, who do most of the
fighting, can be up to 1.5 feet long. The lower canines constantly rub against the smaller upper canines and keeps the
former sharp. In females, the canines are much shorter.
Tail
Flying poop, excrement shower, dung spray…however you want to describe it…hippopotamuses use their feces to
define the borders of their territories. They are aided in this task by their flat tail, which the African Wildlife Foundation
describes as "paddle-like."
Hippopotamus Behavior and Lifestyle
The Hippopotamus spends up to 18 hours a day in the water to keep cool but when darkness falls, they venture out
onto land and follow well-trodden paths to their feeding grounds, before returning to the water in the morning. The
Hippopotamus tends to live in small herds containing between 10 and 20 individuals that are comprised of females
with their young. The herd is led by the dominant male who will fiercely guard his stretch of river bank from both
intruders and rival males, threatening them by opening his enormous mouth to expose the half meter long tusks. If this
fails, the two will fight and deadly injuries are often caused. Although the dominant male will allow other males to
enter his territory providing they are well-behaved, he holds the breeding rights with the females in the herd.
The hippo is responsible for more human fatalities in Africa than any other large animal. Male hippos actively defend
their territories which run along the banks of rivers and lakes. Females have also been known to get extremely aggressive if they sense anyone coming in between their babies, who stay in the water while she feeds on the shore.
Fun Facts:
Hippos secrete a natural sunscreen that is colored red and eventually turns brown
The hippo's closest living relative is the whale
Hippos can kill crocodiles, but cannot jump.
Hippos consume over 100 pounds of vegetation per day.
Hippos walk on the bottoms of rivers, lakes and streams
Median Life expectancy is 36 years
Babies weigh around 100 pounds
Hippos use a poop shower to mark their territory
Hippos poop on the same large piles of dung each day, and these piles can reach several feet high! This serves to mark
their territory and give them guidance (think GPS!) back to their area of the waterfront when they are on land grazing
at night and return in the morning hours
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International
Fun Facts:
Hippos secrete a natural sunscreen that is colored red and eventually turns brown
The hippo's closest living relative is the whale
Hippos can kill crocodiles, but cannot jump.
Hippos consume over 100 pounds of vegetation per day.
Hippos walk on the bottoms of rivers, lakes and streams
Median Life expectancy is 36 years
Babies weigh around 100 pounds
Hippos use a poop shower to mark their territory
Hippos poop on the same large piles of dung each day, and these piles can reach several feet high! This serves to mark
their territory and give them guidance (think GPS!) back to their area of the waterfront when they are on land grazing
at night and return in the morning hours
Sources: BBC News, San Diego Zoo, a-z Animals.com
Learning for LIMBS Grade 7.8 — Science
© LIMBS International