This clip proves that, despite what you thought, hippos can’t swim
This baby hippo is incredibly cute – but she’s no swimmer.
Since she was born last month, this baby pygmy hippo has been all over social media, exploring with her mum, swimming in her pool and generally mucking about.
But it turns out she hasn’t really been swimming after all.
But if you look closely, you can see they aren’t actually swimming at all.
Toronto Zoo accompanied the clip with the caption: “Did you know hippos don’t technically swim? They propel themselves underwater using their legs to propel themselves forward. Their high body fat also assists with their buoyancy.”
Hippos do not swim as humans or other animals do, but generally walk underwater occasionally propelling themselves off the ground or other surfaces.
Hippos may not be the Michael Phelps of the animal world, but they are well adapted to life in the water in other ways.
They can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes, and can even sleep submerged – a reflex causes them to bob to the surface, breathe, and sink back down again without disturbing their slumber.
