Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

I’m Jans you Mnemonic Man and today's episode is on the very rotund, semi-aquatic hippopotamus. Native to Africa the hippopotamus inhabits rivers, lakes, and other freshwater bodies, and along the way they have developed a number of amazing adaptions. The first is the production of a natural sunscreen to protect them from the harsh African sun, and secondly the ability to sleep underwater, where they will actually surface automatically and breathe without waking up.

Today’s mnemonic is on the four types of Hippopotamus.

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hippopotamus_-_04.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

The hippopotamus (/ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs/;[3] pl: hippopotamuses or hippopotami), also shortened to hippo (pl: hippos; Hippopotamus amphibius), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). Its name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμος).

After elephants and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the next largest land mammal. It is also the largest extant land artiodactyl. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the hippopotamids are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.), from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. Hippos are recognisable for their barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths with large canine tusks, nearly hairless bodies, pillar-like legs, and large size: adults average 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) for bulls (males) and 1,300 kg (2,900 lb) for cows (females). Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it is capable of running 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances.

Hippos inhabit rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps. Territorial bulls each preside over a stretch of water and a group of five to thirty cows and calves. Mating and birth both occur in the water. During the day, hippos remain cool by staying in water or mud, emerging at dusk to graze on grasses. While hippos rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos typically do not display territorial behaviour on land. Hippos are among the most dangerous animals in the world due to their aggressive and unpredictable nature. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory (canine teeth).

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hippopotamus_amphibius_Whipsnade_Zoo.jpg

Mnemonic

Hippopotamus – 4 Types Mnemonic – PRaNC

(Picture putting your head inside your pet hippopotamus’s mouth as a prank)

1. Pygmy Hippopotamus

2. River Hippopotamus

3. Nile Hippopotamus

4. Common Hippopotamus

Five Fun Facts

1. While the mnemonic describes four types of Hippopotami there are only two species. The first species is the common hippopotamus with the scientific name Hippopotamus amphibius, while the second species is the pygmy hippo with the scientific name Choeropsis liberiensis.

2. In terms of size the Hippopotamus is ranked third largest of all the land mammals behind the Elephants and White Rhinos. The common hippo can be as large as 16 feet long, while the pygmy hippo a modest average of around five feet long.

3. As you can probably imagine hippos love to eat and do most of that eating at night chomping down on average 35 kgs of grass each night.

4. Not only are hippos strong swimmers, but they are also able to hold their breath underwater on average for around an incredible five minutes.

5. To cope with the incredibly harsh sub-Saharan conditions hippos’ have adapted a unique ability to produce a red, oily liquid that acts as a natural sunblock. This starts off as a colourless sweat which then turns red, and then brown. It is acidic and along with providing a sunscreen it also has antibiotic properties.