A female hippopotamus only has one calf every two years. How many baby hippos are born?Īlmost always it is only one Hippo born but there are documented occurrences of the occasional set of twins. Due to this huge parental investment into each calf, normally Hippopotami only mate every other year. The young are born after a gestation period of eight months and maturity is only achieved at about 3 and a half years. It also reduces the chances of the young becoming a victim of an animal on land. Doing so helps the mother to conserve her energy. The females give birth to their young in the water. Prior to birth they isolate themselves on shallow water or on land and don’t turn back to the hear a few weeks after birth. Pregnant hippos become more aggressive and protective to anyone encountering them. This is an intense time for all of the herd as the aggressive nature intensifies at this time. When copulating the male hippo gives a wheezy honking which proclaims that mating has occurred. During copulation, the female keeps the head underwater, only lifting up to breathe. The Male naturally forces the female into submission and mounts her. He teases the female and pushes her out of the herd, persuing her into deeper waters until she snaps and tries to fight him off by clashing jaws. When he finally discovers an appropriate partner the courtship begins. The final purpose is to find a female in heat. He smells each caw’s ass, acting especially submissive towards the females as if he wants to avoid any kind of confrontation. The predominant bull searches for a mate roaming around a resting or grazing herd. It usually doesn’t last for more than three days at a time.Ĭheck these fun facts about hippos Hippopotamus Breeding The dominant bull of the herd will be around females frequently during their cycles. Fights between hippos are very common during mating season and a bull won’t be able to mate until it is the dominant male of the group. Male hippopotami reach maturity at about 5 years old but won’t successfully confront other males for the right of breeding until they are much older and bigger (about 13 or 15 years old). The females that don’t have young to care for will go through cycles where they can conceive. They offer guidance, interaction, and learning so that their young can be strong and healthy as they mature. While Hippos are known to be highly aggressive and loners, the mothers are very good caregivers. This means that a female generally only has one offspring every two years. After giving birth, a female hippopotamus won’t ovulate for about one year and a half. Hippos mating Female hipposįemale hippos reach sexual maturity between 3 or 4 years old, but usually, don’t start mating until they are about 7 or 8 years. So, really hippo breeding can take place at any time of the year. However, this is not strictly seasonal, it only tends to happen more during these times of the year. Breeding usually occurs during the dry season (between February and August) while births tend to happen in the wet season (from October and April). Hippopotami are polygynous animals where one male, the group leader breeds with all the females in his group.
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