AnimalsThe hippopotamus spends the hot day in water and comes out at night to graze. Its eyes, ears and nostrils sit on top of its head, so it can breathe and watch while almost fully under water. Despite its calm look it is one of the most dangerous large animals in Africa.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Hippopotamus amphibius
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Herbivore (eats plants)
- Lives in
- Africa south of the Sahara
- Habitat
- Rivers, lakes and nearby grassland
- A young one is called
- calf
- A group is called
- pod or bloat
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Artiodactyla
- Family Hippopotamidae
- Genus Hippopotamus
- Species Hippopotamus amphibius
More distant relatives in the order Artiodactyla: Bactrian camel, blackbuck, chital, cow, dromedary camel, gaur, giraffe, goat, moose, nilgai, pig, reindeer.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The hippopotamus is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.