---
title: "Which mammal is known as the \"river horse\"?"  
description: "Which mammal is known as the \"river horse\"?"  
author: "Amartya Singh"  
published: 2024-04-25  
updated: 2024-05-22  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/112715/which-mammal-is-known-as-the-river-horse  
category: "general knowledge"  
tags: ["general knowledge"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# Which mammal is known as the "river horse"?



## Answers

### Answer by Baishakhi Ghosh

## Overview:

The [**mammal**](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/301621/the-world-s-6-smallest-mammals) known as the "river horse" is the hippopotamus. The name "hippopotamus" is gotten from the old Greek words "hippos," meaning horse, and "potamos," meaning waterway. This name suitably depicts the hippopotamus' semi-sea-going way of life and its enormous, barrel-formed body that fairly looks like a pony.

![Hippopotamus - The Amazing Facts About The River Horse!!](https://worldanimalfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hippopotamus-p1-review-1.jpg)

Notwithstanding their mass, hippos are great swimmers and can [pause](https://www.mindstick.com/interview/1349/how-do-you-handle-start-pause-continue-and-stop-calls-from-scm-within-your-application) their [breathing](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/299751/what-causes-breathing-problems) while submerged for as long as five minutes. They additionally walk or stand on the lake or [stream](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/1901/stream-not-writing-on-a-file) bottoms, even in profound water.

Regardless of their herbivorous eating regimen, essentially comprised of grasses, their tusks are utilized for guard and regional battles.

The [social](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/44257/the-impact-of-social-media-on-lawsuits) [construction](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/312120/women-in-construction-raising-awareness) of hippos is very interesting. They live in bunches called cases, swells, or attacks, commonly comprising of 10–30 [people](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2295/more-people-need-to-monitor-this-crucial-metric-for-heart-health), albeit bigger gatherings can form. These gatherings are typically driven by a predominant male, and the social bonds among hippos are solid, especially among moms and their calves.

In spite of their apparently mild appearance, [**hippos**](https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus) are known for being exceptionally regional and can be very forceful. They are viewed as perhaps the most perilous creature in [Africa](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/105983/south-africa-dmc) because of their capriciousness and strong jaws, fit for pounding a crocodile or even a little boat.

Read more: [What is the only mammal capable of powered flight](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/112945/what-is-the-only-mammal-capable-of-powered-flight)


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