How big is a hippopotamus mouth?

The Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is a large African even-toed ungulate (hoofed) mammal in the Hippopotamidae family. Hippopotamus means river horse. 

It has small ears, small eyes, and a large nose at the top of its head so that it can submerge itself underwater, with only these parts of its body showing above the water. Its head is large, with a wide mouth and canine ivory tusks.

It is semi-aquatic and can live in water and out of water. It is not related to pigs or other ungulate mammals. It is related to cetacean mammals that live in the sea, which include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. 

It can grow to 1.65 metres (66 inches) tall and 3.7 metres (148 inches) long. It is the third largest land mammal in the world (the elephant is the largest, and the rhinoceros is the second largest).

The hippo is an herbivorous grazer, which means that it eats grass. It emerges from the water at dusk to feed alone along the river bank, where it grazes for 4-5 hours before returning to the water.

Although it only eats grass, it has a large mouth – opening to 120 centimetres (48 inches) wide. The jaw has a hinge at the far back, which enables it to open its mouth very wide. 

Location of photographs: Uganda

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM