Hippos spend about 16 hours a day in the water. While awake, they can hold their breath for up to five minutes. While they sleep in the water, they surface automatically and breathe without waking up. Hippos can’t survive for long out of water because their skin is extremely sensitive to direct sunlight, which is why they secrete a red, oily substance, once thought to be blood, that serves as both a sunscreen and an antibiotic. Given their short, stubby legs and exceptional girth, it seems remarkable that hippos have been clocked running on land at 18 miles an hour over short distances and walk an average of six miles per night in search of food.
Amboseli National Park
