River hippos live half their lives in water.They float and let the water carry their great weight.They rarely sink completely below the surface,however.Instead,they paddle around with the tops of their heads sticking out of the water.A river hippo’s eyes,ears,and nose are all at the top of its head.It can breathe and see what’s going on even while most of its body is below water.
If it has to,a river hippopotamus can go underwater and hold its breath for as much as half an hour.River hippos can swim underwater,or walk on the river bottom.Pygmy hippos can swim,too,but they spend less time in the water.They stay mostly on the riverbanks.
A million years ago,hippopotamuses lived all over Europe,Asia,and Africa.Now they live only in parts of Africa.There are only about 150,000river hippos left.Pygmy hippos are down to a few thousand animals.
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