Hippo Facts Hippo Facts By Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor | October 30, 2014 11:48pm ET MORE Hippopotamuses are large, round, water-loving animals that are native to Africa. Though they're sometimes thought of as cute and cuddly, hippos can actually be quite dangerous; they kill about 3,000 per year, according to the National Wildlife Federation . Size Hippos are very rotund animals and are the third largest living land mammals, after elephants and white rhinos, according to Animal Planet . They grow to 10.8 to 16.5 feet (3.3 to 5 meters) long and up to 5.2 feet (1.6 m) tall from hooves to shoulders. The tail adds another 13.75 to 19.75 inches (35 to 50 centimeters) to its length. The average female weighs around 3,000 lbs. (1,400 kilograms) while males weigh 3,500 to 9,920 lbs.

(1,600 to 4,500 kg) according to the San Diego Zoo . Underwater, the Nile hippos would glide with their limbs folded beneath their bodies, occasionally pushing off the bottom of the tank with one leg, only making contact with their digits. Credit: Courtesy of Matthew Bennett Habitat Hippos live in sub-Saharan Africa. They can only survive in areas with abundant water, though, so they live in areas with rivers and lakes. Hippos are amphibious animals and spend up to 16 hours per day in the water, according to National Geographic . The water keeps them cool in the African heat. They spend all day in the water and then hunt for food at night. They are very social and hang out in groups called schools, bloats, pods or sieges. Schools of hippos usually consist of 10 to 30 members of both females and males. Some documented groups of hippos have had as many as 200 members. No matter the size, usually the school is led by a dominant male. Hippos are very aggressive creatures and are very dangerous. They have large teeth and tusks that they use for fighting off others that they see as threats, including humans.

Sometimes, their young are the victims of their temper. During a fight between two adults, a young hippo can be hurt or crushed. Though hippos move quite quickly through the water, they can't swim. According to the San Diego Zoo, hippos move through the water by pushing themselves off other objects. Hungry, hungry hippos A hippo eats about 80 lbs. (35 kg) of grass each night, according to National Geographic. They travel up to 6 miles (10 kilometers) in a night to get their fill. They also eat fruit that they find during their nightly scavenging. Baby pygmy hippo Eve lets out a yawn while out for a stroll with her mom Ellen at the Edinburgh Zoo. Credit: Jon-Paul Orsi Baby hippos Females have a gestation period of eight months and have only one baby at a time, according to the San Diego Zoo. At birth, the baby, called a calf, is a whopping 50 to 110 lbs. (23 to 50 kg). For 18 months, the baby nurses while its mother is on land, or it swims underwater to suckle.

When it dives, the calf closes its nose and ears to block out water. All hippos have this ability. They also have membranes that cover and protect their eyes while they are underwater. At 5 to 7 years old, the hippo calf is fully mature, according to the San Diego Zoo. The median life expectancy of a hippo is 36 years. Classification/taxonomy The taxonomy of hippos, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), is: Kingdom: Animalia Species: Hippopotamus amphibius (common hippopotamus) Subspecies: Hippopotamus amphibius amphibius, Hippopotamus amphibius capensis, Hippopotamus amphibius kiboko Conservation status According to the IUCN, the common hippo population isn't endangered, but it is vulnerable , because their numbers have declined by 7 to 20 percent over the past 10 years, and likely will continue to decline. The IUCN estimates that there are between 125,000 and 148,000 common hippos remaining in the wild.

The primary threats to hippos are poaching (for their ivory tusks and their meat), and loss of habitat, as more water is diverted for agriculture, according to the IUCN. Other facts The word "hippopotamus" comes from the Greek word for "water horse" or "river horse." However, hippos and horses are not closely related. The closest living relatives to hippos are pigs, whales and dolphins, according to the San Diego Zoo. A hippo must stay moist, because if its skin dries out, it will crack. Its skin also secretes a red fluid that is thought to be an antibiotic, sunscreen and skin moisturizer. People once thought that the red secretions were blood and that hippos sweat blood. Hippos can stay underwater for up to 5 minutes without coming up for air, according to National Geographic. When they sleep in the water, their bodies automatically bob up to the top of the water so that they can take a breath, and then they sink back to the bottom. Hippos' eyes and nostrils are on top of their head. This allows them to breath and look around while the rest of their body is submerged. Hippos are fast for their size.

They can run up to 14 mph (23 km/h), according to the San Diego Zoo. Hippos are very loud animals. Their snorts, grumbles and wheezes have been measured at 115 decibels, according to the San Diego Zoo — about the same volume as being 15 feet (4.6 m) from the speakers at a rock concert. Hippos also use subsonic vocalizations to communicate. Hippos can store food in their stomachs and go three weeks without eating. The common hippo's cousin, the pygmy hippo (Hexaprotodon liberiensis or Choeropsis liberiensis) is smaller and less aquatic. They are also rarer, and endangered. They are found only in forests in West Africa, mainly Liberia. Little is known of their habits in the wild, according to the San Diego Zoo. They were not discovered by Western scientists until 1840. Additional resources 42 - The Animal Body - StudyBlue Good to have you back! If you've signed in to StudyBlue with Facebook in the past, please do that again. 42 - The Animal Body Which of these is not part of loose connective tissue?

~collagen Which of these neuron structures is usually the longest? ~cell body cell body Advertisement ) In adult vertebrates, which of these is not one of the four principle kinds of primary tissues? ~epithelial In humans, which of these structures is not made of cartilage? ~tip of the nose ~intervertebral disks of the backbone ~knee cap ~larynx knee cap Homeostasis is maintained using negative feedback loops. Changing conditions are detected in which of part of a negative feedback loop? ~response For most enzymes, the Q10 value is around ~0.2. Which of these methods of heat transfer is not relevant to biological systems? ~radiation ~reflection reflection 71. Some animals allow their body temperature to conform to the environment. What is the old term for these animals, and what is the newer preferred term? A. heterotherms; homeotherms E. endotherms; homeostats D. poikilotherms; ectotherms 81. Thermoregulation depends on monitoring of blood temperature. What structure acts as the mammalian temperature sensor? ~hypothalamus. ~thyroid.

hypothalamus Bone cells can remain alive even though the extracellular matrix becomes hardened with crystals of calcium phosphate. This type of cell is also called a(n) ~osteocyte. ~chrondrocyte. osteocyte Which of the following is not one of the levels of organization in the vertebrate body? ~cells Which of the following is not one of the principal kinds of tissues in vertebrates? ~connective Which of the following are the fundamental embryonic tissues called the germ layers? ~tissues, organs, and organ systems ~mesoderm, muscle, and tissue Epithelial tissues perform all of the following functions except they ~produce glands that secrete materials. ~protect from dehydration or mechanical damage. ~provide a selectively permeable barrier. ~provide a structural framework for other tissues. ~provide sensory surfaces. provide a structural framework for other tissues Epithelial cells with a flattened, irregular shape and tapered edges are known as ____________ cells. ~columnar The glands of vertebrates are derived from ____________ epithelium.

~invaginated ~squamous keratinized invaginated If the connection between the gland and the epithelial membrane is maintained as a duct, the gland is called a(n) ___________ gland. ~exocrine All connective tissues share which of the following structural features? I-contain cells II-contain a matrix filled with extracellular material III-contain sarcomere units Which of the following would not provide protection to the epidermis? ~keratinized epithelium ~layers of dead squamous cells simple squamous epithelium 20::Which of the following epithelial tissues would be likely found in the kidney tubules? ~cuboidal 21::Which of the following epithelial tissues secretes mucous and is dense with cilia? ~cuboidal 22::The tissue type that produces tough coverings that package organs is ~loose connective tissue. 23::Which of the following is considered a similarity between all connective tissues? ~all originate as embryonic mesoderm ~all contain abundant organic extracellular matrix ~all contain inorganic matrix all originate as embryonic mesoderm 24::Which connective tissue has a matrix that is fluid?

~bone 25::All of the following statements about bone and its structure are correct except ~bone is an organic extracellular matrix of collagen fibers and calcium phosphate crystals. ~bone tissue is not living since it contains calcium phosphate crystals. ~bone tissue is a special form of connective tissue. ~bone tissue serves as a reservoir for calcium and phosphate ions. ~bone marrow is a site for blood cell formations. bone tissue is not living since it contains calcium phosphate crystals 26::In mammals and some reptiles, the coelom is divided into two cavities. These cavities are called the ~thoracic cavity and the peritoneal cavity. ~thoracic and the pleural cavities. ~thoracic and the cardiac cavities. ~peritoneal and the pleural cavities. ~peritoneal and the cardiac cavities. thoracic cavity and the peritoneal cavity 27::Which of the muscle types have intercellular connections which allow coordinated contractions between them? ~just cardiac muscle ~cardiac, smooth, and skeletal muscle cardiac and smooth muscle 28::Which of the following systems are not directly involved in communication and integration sense and respond to the environment?

~the nervous system ~the endocrine system the immune system 29::Which of the following systems are not directly involved with regulation and maintenance of the body's chemistry? ~the digestive system 30::Which of the following systems is most likely to function as a defense system? ~the integumentary system ~the nervous system the integumentary system If the set point of the hypothalamus were to suddenly rise to 40oC (as in the induction phase of a fever), what would the initial response of the body be? ~glands release sweat 32::In vertebrates, locomotion results from the contraction of muscles anchored to ~bones. 33::The characteristic that makes the muscle cells unique is the relative abundance and organization of ~collagen fibers. ~fibroblast cells. actin and myosin fibers 34::The muscles that are attached to the bones by tendons, and when they contract cause the bones to move at their joints, are called ~smooth muscles. 35::Which of the following are also known as striated muscles? ~skeletal and smooth 36::The cells that are specialized to produce and conduct electrochemical impulses are called ~neurons.

38::Which muscle contraction is involuntary? ~cardiac 39::The nucleus of a neuron is contained in the ~axon branches. 40::Epithelial membranes are not very thick because ~epithelial tissues cannot support other cells growing on top of the tissue. ~epithelial tissues are nourished by blood vessels in adjacent tissues, thus diffusion is limited to thin tissues. ~epithelial tissues can only reach a certain level of thickness because of their pre-programmed cell growth epithelial tissues are nourished by blood vessels in adjacent tissues, thus diffusion is limited to thin tissues 41::The type of cells that line the lungs and blood vessels are ~simple squamous epithelium. ~keratinized squamous epithelium. simple squamous epithelium 42::A friend asks you to explain the difference between exocrine and endocrine glands. She understands that both types of glands are formed from invaginated epithelium. Which response would you use? ~Exocrine and endocrine glands are essentially the same, both produce products that are secreted to the skin's surface.

~Exocrine glands produce hormones which enter the blood stream, while endocrine glands secrete sweat and oil directly to the surface of the skin. ~Endocrine glands produce hormones which enter the blood stream, while exocrine glands secrete sweat and oil directly to the surface of the skin. Endocrine glands produce hormones which enter the blood stream, while exocrine glands secrete sweat and oil directly to the surface of the skin 43::Loose connective tissues contain all of the following types of cells or fibers except ~macrophages. 45::Myelin sheaths are found along ~axons. ~ganglia. axons 46::Your professor asks you to explain the difference between a tendon and a ligament. Which choice will you use as your answer? ~Tendons secure muscles to muscles and ligaments secure bones to other bones. ~Tendons secure muscles to bones and ligaments secure muscles to other muscles. ~Tendons are just enlarged ligaments. ~Tendons secure muscles to bones and ligaments secure bones to other bones.

Tendons secure muscles to bones and ligaments secure bones to other bones 47::Which of these is not a method used by ectothermic vertebrates to affect body temperature? ~countercurrent heat exchange ~dilation or contraction of blood vessels ~increasing metabolic rate 48::Which of these thermoregulation processes can be sustained for the longest period of time? ~shivering 49::Which of these factors would have the least effect on heat transfer processes in animals? ~surface area of the body ~difference between body temperature and ambient temperature ~internal insulation such as blubber ~external insulation such as feathers or fur ~bone density 50::Which of these animals has the highest metabolic rate per unit body mass? ~shrew ~elephant shrew 51::Choose the letter of the best match from the following definitions of positive feedback to their proper examples in child birth. Stimulus A. oxytocin causes increased uterine contractions B. pituitary gland secretes oxytocin C. fetus pushed against uterine opening D. receptors in uterus detect stretch E. brain receives and compares stretch information C.

fetus pushed against uterine opening 52::Choose the letter of the best match from the following definitions of positive feedback to their proper examples in child birth. Response A. oxytocin causes increased uterine contractions B. pituitary gland secretes oxytocin C. fetus pushed against uterine opening D. receptors in uterus detect stretch E. brain receives and compares stretch information A. oxytocin causes increased uterine contractions 53::Choose the letter of the best match from the following definitions of positive feedback to their proper examples in child birth. Integrating Center A. oxytocin causes increased uterine contractions B. pituitary gland secretes oxytocin C. fetus pushed against uterine opening D. receptors in uterus detect stretch E. brain receives and compares stretch information E. brain receives and compares stretch information 54::Choose the letter of the best match from the following definitions of positive feedback to their proper examples in child birth. Effector A. oxytocin causes increased uterine contractions B. pituitary gland secretes oxytocin C. fetus pushed against uterine opening D. receptors in uterus detect stretch E.

brain receives and compares stretch information B. pituitary gland secretes oxytocin 46. Where is the nucleus of a neuron found? A. axon branches E. myelin sheath C. cell body 1. To diagnose and treat a disease, a doctor must evaluate the patient’s body at multiple levels of organization. Identify the level of organization relevant to each stage of the process described below. (1) As part of Fred’s annual physical, the doctor examined his skin, fingernails and hair for signs of disease. Noticing an unusual lesion on his neck, the doctor referred Fred to a dermatologist. (2) Upon observing the lesion, the dermatologist said, “Yes, this looks like it could be a squamous cell carcinoma, a tumor in the epidermis of the skin.” (3) The dermatologist carefully examined all of Fred’s skin for signs of additional tumors, but did not find any. (4) The dermatologist removed the lesion and sent it for a biopsy. Under the microscope, the pathologist saw some cells with abnormal morphology and confirmed a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. However, he noted that the margins of the lesion were clear of abnormal cells, and the tumor had been successfully removed.

A. organism, cell, tissue, organ B. organ system, tissue, organ, cell C. organ system, organ, tissue, cell D. organism, cell, organ system, tissue B. organ system, tissue, organ, cell 3. It’s the ninth inning, and the bases are loaded. As the pitcher winds up to throw the ball, how does each tissue in his arm contribute to this critical pitch? The ___________ of his fingers grips the ball. His __________ sends instructions that trigger his ___________ to contract. His ______________ provides stability and transmits the force produced. A. ectoderm; ectoderm; mesoderm; endoderm C. epithelium; ectoderm; mesoderm; endoderm D. epithelial tissue; nerve tissue; muscle tissue; connective tissue D. epithelial tissue; nerve tissue; muscle tissue; connective tissue 4. If at the last minute the pitcher decides to throw a curveball instead, which tissue responds first? A. epithelial tissue D. muscle tissue C. nerve tissue 7. In 1822, the Canadian fur trader Alexis St.

Martin was accidentally shot with a musket. The shot entered his left chest, fractured a rib, damaged the lungs, lacerated the diaphragm, perforated the stomach, and finally exited his body. Amazingly he survived, but the hole in his belly never completely healed. This allowed Dr. William Beaumont direct access to his stomach for experiments, and led to his discovery of the importance of stomach acid in digestion. Which body cavities did the musket shot pass through? A. The shot entered the dorsal cavity and exited through the ventral cavity. B. The shot entered the thoracic cavity and exited through the abdominopelvic cavity. C. The shot entered the thoracic cavity and exited through the pleural cavity. D. The shot entered the pericardial cavity and exited through the pleural cavity. B. The shot entered the thoracic cavity and exited through the abdominopelvic cavity 8. In mammals and some reptiles, the coelom is divided into smaller cavities that enclose the lungs, heart, and gut. What are these cavities called? A. pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal cavities B.

thoracic, pleural, and pericardial cavities C. pleural, pericardial, and cardial cavities D. perithoracic, peritoneal, and pericardial cavities A. pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal cavities 9. Why are epithelial membranes not very thick? A. Epithelial tissues are required to support other cells growing on top of the tissue. B. Epithelial tissues play a critical role in transport, and must be thin to allow diffusion to occur. C. Epithelial tissues can only reach a certain thickness because their growth is constrained by microtubules inside the cell membrane. D. Thick epithelial tissues would collapse due to the drying effect of the environment. E. Epithelial tissues are programmed to stop dividing after only a few cell cycles. B. Epithelial tissues play a critical role in transport, and must be thin to allow diffusion to occur 13. Goblet cell hyperplasia is associated with asthma. Based on their function, what is the likely outcome of an overabundance of goblet cells? A. decreased mucus production D. decreased CO2 absorption B.

excess mucus production 14. A recent study suggests the surprising idea that intestinal goblet cells present food antigens to dendritic cells to induce tolerance to food molecules. Thus, goblet cell dysfunction may be a cause of food allergies. If this is true, it illustrates the importance of coordination between which two organ systems? A. immune system and circulatory system B. circulatory system and endocrine system C. digestive system and endocrine system D. digestive system and immune system D. digestive system and immune system 20. Connective tissue includes adipose tissue, tendons, bone, cartilage, and blood. What do all these tissues have in common? A. They all consist of few cells sparsely distributed in large amounts of extracellular material. B. They all provide structural support to the body. C. They are all hard tissues. D. They all physically bind other tissues together. A. They all consist of few cells sparsely distributed in large amounts of extracellular material. 21. The most abundant protein in mammals is collagen. This strong, ropelike molecule is particularly abundant in which tissue? A. heart muscle D. skeletal muscle C. ligaments 22.

When collagen is hydrolyzed it forms gelatin, the main ingredient of a jiggly dessert adored by children. What parts of a cow provide a rich source of collagen? A. heart and other muscles B. brain D. skin, tendons, and cartilage D. skin, tendons, and cartilage 23. You are researching a family with a heritable disease whose symptoms include hyper-flexible joints, pliable skin, stretchy ligaments, and fragile muscles that tear easily. You plan to use genetic testing to determine the cause of the disease. Which gene do you sequence first? A. actin C. myosin II heavy chain D. collagen D. collagen This example is similar to the disease known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which may be cause by mutation of one of several collagen genes, or a few related genes. 31. Vertebrate locomotion results from the contraction of muscles anchored to what other tissue? A. bone E. the plasma membrane A. bone 34. A patient has a disease with symptoms in the outer ear, nose, trachea and spine. Which cells are most likely to have a problem? A. leukocytes E.

fibroblasts C. chondrocytes 36. Muscles can carry out their unique motor function because they are the only cells which contain actin and myosin. FALSE Other cell types do contain actin and myosin as well, which they use for intracellular transport, but not in the large quantities and layered organization seen in muscle cells. 38. What feature of cardiac muscle helps the cells coordinate their contraction as a single unit? A. fused cells with multiple nuclei B. covalent bonds between actin and myosin molecules C. intercalated disks rich in gap junctions D. large numbers of motor neurons C. intercalated disks rich in gap junctions 39. A scientist is trying to coax stem cells to differentiate into muscle to use as a therapy for muscular dystrophy. He looks at his Petri dish and is excited to see the cells contracting! The cells appear striated and multinucleate. What type of muscle are they? A. cardiac muscle D. skeletal muscle D. skeletal muscle 43. The cell body of a motor neuron resides in the spinal cord, but it may control muscles a long distance away.

In a giraffe, the ________ of a leg motor neuron may be six feet long! A. dendrite D. node of Ranvier C. axon 44. True or false: The axon of a neuron can only communicate with other neuronal cells. FALSE Motorneurons communicate directly with muscle. 47. In your Ph.D. research, you use thin slices of brain tissue to study neuronal signaling. You attach an electrode to a single neuron, but cannot detect any activity. What is the most likely explanation? A. When you sliced the brain, you disconnected the cell from inputs from its dendrites. B. Neurons are not electrically active -- you should be recording neuroglia instead. C. When you sliced the brain, you disconnected the cell from inputs from its axons. D. Excessive myelination is blocking inputs to the cell. A. When you sliced the brain, you disconnected the cell from inputs from its dendrites 49. In addition to the senses of vision, taste, smell, hearing, and touch, we also have a sense called proprioception. It tells us the position of our bodies, based in part on stretch receptors in muscles.

Proprioceptors are part of the ______________ nervous system. A. peripheral D. motor A. peripheral 50. A recovering stroke patient complained about strange smells in his room, but no cause could be found. The doctor diagnosed this as phantosmia, or olfactory hallucination, and said it was likely due to stroke-related damage to which tissue? A. central nervous system D. nodes of Ranvier A. central nervous system 51. Controversy surrounds the use of zinc-containing nasal sprays as a cold remedy, since they have been associated with anosmia (loss of smell). If true, this is likely due to the sprays damaging which tissue? A. central nervous system D. neuroglial system C. peripheral nervous system 52. When we watch Olympic athletes perform, we are admiring the expert control of which systems working together? A. skeletal, endocrine, and circulatory systems B. nervous, circulatory, and skeletal systems C. muscular, integumentary, and circulatory systems D. nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems D. nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems 53.

A bride-to-be is enjoying a manicure and a facial before her hair is styled for the wedding. What organ system is being pampered? A. lymphatic system D. digestive system B. integumentary system 54. Which of the following systems is NOT directly involved with regulation and maintenance of the body's chemistry? A. the digestive system E. the reproductive system E. the reproductive system 56. A couple is having difficulty conceiving a child, and they decide to see a fertility specialist. Which two organ systems will the specialist examine in this couple? A. reproductive and nervous systems B. endocrine and urinary systems C. reproductive and endocrine systems D. reproductive and urinary systems C. reproductive and endocrine systems 57. Damage to the integument may trigger action by cells of which system? A. reproductive system D. muscular system B. immune system Adult giraffes can be up to 20 ft tall, and thus require special adaptations to maintain appropriate blood pressure. One adaptation is the rete mirabile, a group of blood vessels that form a web or net-like structure to slow blood flow. True 63.

To prevent blood from pooling in the giraffe's head when it bends down to drink, the jugular veins of a giraffe have multiple one-way valves. Furthermore, a web of arteries and veins in the neck called the rete mirabile (“wonderful net”) slows the flow of blood into the brain. These specializations of the ______________________ act as mechanisms to maintain ______________________. A. nervous system; homeothermy B. nervous system; temperature homeostasis C. circulatory system; blood pressure homeostasis D. circulatory system; pH homeostasis C. circulatory system; blood pressure homeostasis 64. Although especially useful to the giraffe, the rete mirabile is similar to a countercurrent heat exchange system in other related mammals. Thus a mechanism for _________________ homeostasis is likely to have evolved from a mechanism previously used for __________________ homeostasis. A. blood pressure; pH D. pH; blood pressure C. blood pressure; temperature 65. Low body temperature triggers adaptive responses to conserve heat. Once the integrating center detects that body temperature has risen, it will decrease these responses. What is this an example of? A. adaptation D.

acclimatization B. negative feedback 66. Due to a mutation in a smooth muscle gene, the blood vessels in the skin of a certain strain of mouse become dilated when temperature falls below a certain point. Based on the likely outcome of this mutation, what precautions should the researchers take to maintain the health of their mice? A. The mouse room should be maintained at a cooler than normal temperature. B. The mouse room should be consistently maintained at a warm temperature. C. The mice will have weak muscles, and should be provided with exercise wheels. B. The mouse room should be consistently maintained at a warm temperature 67. Which statement describes a home heating and cooling system that functions in a homeostatic way? A. The temperature always stays the same. B. The heater never comes on. C. The heater is on at a constant rate. D. The thermostat keeps the temperature within a narrow range. D. The thermostat keeps the temperature within a narrow range 68. Mechanisms that help generate heat and those that allow release of heat are an example of ____________________. Collectively, these mechanisms increase the __________________ of body temperature. A. endothermic regulation; flexibility D. antagonist effectors; stability D.

antagonist effectors; stability 69. Why do some bread recipes suggest letting the dough rise in a warm place after kneading? A. Warming the bread slightly before cooking it in a hot oven stretches out the gluten. B. The metabolic rate of yeast speeds up at warmer temperatures, so more carbon dioxide is released and the dough rises more quickly. C. The metabolic rate of yeast slows down at warmer temperatures, so more sugar is maintained and the bread is sweeter. B. The metabolic rate of yeast speeds up at warmer temperatures, so more carbon dioxide is released and the dough rises more quickly 73. A scout troop sets out on a backpacking trip. Soon, an unexpected storm gets them drenched, and the troop leaders discover that few boys have packed warm clothes. Several scouts start shivering uncontrollably, a sign of hypothermia. The leaders call off the trip and the group heads back to their cars. This shivering response was A. an attempt to produce heat by burning large amounts of ATP. B. a maladaptive response that wastes energy. C. an attempt to produce heat by creating friction with their clothing. D. a social signal that evolved to alert adults to take action. A.

an attempt to produce heat by burning large amounts of ATP 74. If the boys progressed into full-blown hypothermia, this would be a failure of which regulatory system? A. endodermic regulation D. glucose homeostasis B. temperature homeostasis 75. Dogs use panting to dissipate excess heat. What part of their brain detects the need for this response and sends the signal to pant? A. hippocampus D. hypothalamus D. hypothalamus 76. When a dog's brain detects the need to dissipate excess heat and the dog begins to pant, the brain acts as the _________________, and the panting behavior acts as the ________________. A. stimulator; effector D. sensor; integrating center C. integrating center; effector 77. After yet another patron dripped sweat on her desk, the clerk at the gym complained, “It’s gross working at a gym, with everyone sweating all the time.” “Yes,” the manager replied, “and it’s probably costing us more for ______________, but I’ll bet we’re saving on _____________________.” A. towels; heating C.

the water cooler; air conditioning D. the water cooler; towels C. the water cooler; air conditioning 78. If an animal suffered damage to the temperature sensor in its brain, what would be the result? A. The integrating center would not receive inputs to compare to the set point. Body temperature could rise or fall to dangerous levels. C. The animal would have to rely on shivering instead of vasoconstriction to maintain body heat. D. The animal would fall back onto a more primitive ectothermic mode of regulation. A. The integrating center would not receive inputs to compare to the set point. Body temperature could rise or fall to dangerous levels 79. You are an engineer at a power plant that creates large volumes of hot waste water, which disrupts the ecosystem of the river it drains into. Another part of the plant requires warm oil, and the plant uses large amounts of energy to heat it. Inspired by countercurrent exchange in whales, you save energy and benefit the environment by doing what? A. running the oil pipes under the river after dumping in the hot waste water B. running the oil pipes around the waste water pipes, to allow heat transfer from water to oil C.

running the waste water and oil through a single pipe B. running the oil pipes around the waste water pipes, to allow heat transfer from water to oil * The material on this site is created by StudyBlue users. StudyBlue is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the academic institution or instructor. Words From Our Students "StudyBlue is great for studying. I love the study guides, flashcards and quizzes. So extremely helpful for all of my classes!" Alice , Arizona State University "I'm a student using StudyBlue, and I can 100% say that it helps me so much. Study materials for almost every subject in school are available in StudyBlue. It is so helpful for my education!" Tim , University of Florida "StudyBlue provides way more features than other studying apps, and thus allows me to learn very quickly!??I actually feel much more comfortable taking my exams after I study with this app. It's amazing!" Jennifer , Rutgers University "I love flashcards but carrying around physical flashcards is cumbersome and simply outdated. StudyBlue is exactly what I was looking for!" Justin , LSU Hippo | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants SPECIES: amphibious ABOUT What's in a name?

Watch a hippo, on land or in the water, and you’ll soon discover that this roly-poly is one of the animal world’s great characters. It is the most rotund land mammal and spends its daytime hours in lakes, pools, mudholes, or in the preferred moving waters of rivers. The name “hippopotamus” comes from a Greek word meaning “water horse” or “river horse.” But hippos are not related to horses at all—in fact, their closest living relatives may be pigs or whales and dolphins! There are two species of hippopotamus: the river, or common, hippo and the much smaller pygmy hippo. Hippos have unique skin that needs to be kept wet for a good part of the day. Staying out of the water for too long can lead to dehydration, so hippos try to remain in water during the day. They don’t have true sweat glands; instead, hippos secrete a thick, red substance from their pores known as "blood sweat," as it looks like the animal is sweating blood. But not to worry! The blood sweat creates a layer of mucous that protects hippo skin from sunburn and keeps it moist.

It is thought that this mucous may also prevent infections; even large wounds don't seem to get infected despite the filthy water wild hippos sometimes live in. In the unpredictable African wilderness, hippos face many perils, such as disease and drought. A full-grown adult doesn’t have much in the way of natural predators. Lions have been known to take down hippos, but it depends upon how many lions, the age of the hippo, and how far it is from the water. But simply reaching adulthood is a challenge. Crocodiles, lions, hyenas, and leopards are all potential threats while growing up—but the most dangerous thing to a young hippo is another hippo. When you live in a group that may contain as many as 100 individuals, disagreements are bound to happen. Sometimes young hippos get caught in the middle of violent clashes between adults and can be bitten or crushed—occasionally by their own parent. Despite the hippos' cute appearance, they are among the most dangerous and aggressive of all mammals. Their canine and incisor teeth grow continuously, with canines reaching 20 inches (51 centimeters) in length. Hippo males especially use their canines for fighting.

To ward off enemies, a hippo may yawn, scoop water with its mouth, shake its head, rear up, lunge, roar, grunt, chase, and make a loud wheezing sound, all of which are threat displays. A hippo can kill people if it's provoked or feels threatened. But the impressive tusks and canine teeth are used mainly for defense or fighting with other hippos. HABITAT AND DIET Hippos are definitely adapted for life in the water and are found living in slow-moving rivers and lakes in Africa. With their eyes, ears, and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see, and breathe while most of their body is underwater. Hippos also have a set of built-in goggles: a clear membrane covers their eyes for protection while still allowing them to see when underwater. Their nostrils close, and they can hold their breath for five minutes or longer when submerged. Hippos can even sleep underwater, using a reflex that allows them to bob up, take a breath, and sink back down without waking up. Yet despite all these adaptations for life in the water, hippos can't swim—they can't even float!

Their bodies are far too dense to float, so they move around by pushing off from the bottom of the river or simply walking along the riverbed in a slow-motion gallop, lightly touching the bottom with their toes, which are slightly webbed, like aquatic ballet dancers. During daylight hours, hippos spend almost all of their time wallowing in shallow water. In the evening, after the hot sun has set, hippos come out of the water for a night of grazing—in fact, this goes on for about six hours! Despite their enormous weight, hippos eat an average of only 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of food a night. This amount is about 1 to 1.5 percent of their body weight. By comparison, the largest cattle eat 2.5 percent of their body weight each day. While hippos like to feed on patches of short grasses (called “hippo lawns”) close to water, they must sometimes travel several miles (kilometers) to find food, making long trips on land to new lakes or rivers. Their ears help them hear the sounds of falling fruit, and their keen sense of smell helps them sniff out the tasty treats.

Hippos are mostly inactive unless eating, and this helps them conserve energy. At the San Diego Zoo, the hippos are fed herbivore pellets, alfalfa and Bermuda hay, lettuce and mixed vegetables, and on special occasions, melons. FAMILY LIFE The hippopotamus is a social animal, living in groups of 10 to 30 animals. They have even been seen in much larger groups of up to 200 animals! The herd has several adult females and several adult males, but there is one dominant male. He has the right to mate with all adult females in his herd, although he sometimes allows subordinate males in and around his territory to mate. The dominant male reminds other hippos of his territory by flinging his dung as far as possible with his fan-shaped tail! When rival males meet, they stand nose to nose with their mouth open as wide as possible, up to a 150-degree angle! This is called "gaping," a way to size each other up. Usually the smaller male retreats without being pursued by the larger hippo. When two hippos do decide to fight, they slash out with their tusks or swing their enormous heads like sledgehammers while bellowing loudly.

They have been known to die as a result of a very aggressive battle. The breeding season for hippos is linked to the dry season, so that most births happen during the wettest time of the year. Hippos prefer to breed in the water but can also do so on land. Amazingly, the gestation period for such a large mammal is just 8 months—slightly shorter than the human gestation period—yet the hippo calf is about 10 times larger than a human baby! When the female nears the time to give birth, she leaves the herd for one or two weeks to give birth to her young and create a bond with her baby. She is comfortable giving birth in water or on land. If the baby is born underwater, the mother needs to push it to the surface to breathe. Newborn hippos are only able to hold their breath for about 40 seconds at a time. The mother stays in the water with her newborn for several days without eating, and she waits until her baby is strong enough before they dare leave the water at night to graze. Mothers nurse their babies, even underwater, for about eight months.

Hippos are one of the noisiest animals in Africa: some hippo vocalizations have been measured at 115 decibels, about the same volume as being 15 feet away from the speakers at a rock concert! They also use snorts, grumbles, “wheeze-honking,” and other ground-shaking—and sometimes subsonic—vocalizations to communicate to other hippos. As one starts calling, the rest of the family “sounds off” down the line. AT THE ZOO Puddles was the San Diego Zoo’s first hippopotamus; born on July 8, 1935, at the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago. He arrived here in August 1936, becoming the first hippo to be exhibited by a zoo on the West Coast. He became quite the viewing sensation. Rube and Ruby were popular from the moment they arrived in 1940 as youngsters from the Calcutta Zoo in India. The pair produced 11 offspring during their time together, with their first calf born in 1943.

Hippos have an average life span of 25 to 30 years in the wild, but Rube’s 51 years made him one of the oldest hippos in zoos. Although Ruby died in 1982 and Rube in 1988, they have been immortalized as two of the Zoo’s popular costumed characters! During their time here, hippos became one of the Zoo’s most popular attractions, seen by millions of visitors. By 1986, the 50-year-old hippo exhibit was showing its age, and a decision was made to close it until it could be replaced with an up-to-date facility. That facility became a reality when a new hippo exhibit opened in 1995. It continues to offer millions of people a safe way to get an up-close-and-personal view of hippos.

Zoo visitors can observe hippo behavior on the beach and underwater all year long, as the exhibit features 110 feet (33.5 meters) of underwater viewing behind a 2.25-inch-thick (5.7 centimeters) glass window, engineered to withstand the force of a 2-ton (1.8 tonnes) hippo moving at 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour). Thanks to the temperate San Diego weather, the water in the pool does not need to be heated or chilled. The pool is serviced by a large water filtration system and is also kept clean by a school of tilapia, one of the several species of African fish that, in the wild, would normally be feeding on the hippos’ dead skin and food remnants. We currently have a pair of these impressive giants, and a hippo calf. Funani, whose name means “desire” in Zulu, weighs about 3,600 pounds (1,630 kilograms). She came to San Diego from the Knoxville Zoo in 1995, where she was known as a problem hippo. But she settled in quickly and has mellowed even further with motherhood.

Since her arrival, she has had four calves. Our adult male, Otis, is a “lightweight” for an animal that can reach a weight of 4 tons (3.6 tonnes); he tips the scale at 3,900 pounds (1,770 kilograms). He was wild born in East Africa in 1976 and brought to the San Diego Zoo from the Los Angeles Zoo in January 2009, specifically to breed with Funani. The happy result was Adhama, born on January 26, 2011. The “little” guy delighted Zoo guests with his playful antics at the viewing window and has been a YouTube sensation, showing off some ballet moves . Adhama moved to the Los Angeles Zoo in June 2013. We wish him well! On March 23, 2015, Funani gave birth to a daughter, Devi. She has already attracted plenty of attention at the Zoo, fascinating guests at the viewing window as she explores every part of her 150,000-gallon (567,812-liter) pool—under the watchful eyes of Funani.

CONSERVATION Although hippos are not yet endangered, their habitat has been greatly reduced over the last 200 years. Once common to all of Africa, hippos are now abundant only in East Africa. Male hippos stake a claim to a stretch of river and all the females in it. It is his job to protect the group from intruders. An unsuspecting human boater who enters hippo territory risks an aggressive response. Female hippos, especially mothers with calves, can be equally dangerous and unpredictable. Sometimes, it is the hippo that invades human areas like local farmlands, devouring crops. With the constant growth of human settlements, human and hippo territories frequently overlap, and these encounters are on the rise. Projects such as the building of dams or the diversion of water for agriculture often have disastrous impacts on natural waterways and the hippos that depend on them. Even more devastating to hippo populations is the trade in illegal ivory. Following the 1989 ban on elephant ivory, demand for hippo ivory sharply increased. The large canines that hippos use to protect themselves are made of the same material as elephants’ tusks.

In fact, they are slightly softer and easier to carve than elephant ivory, making them even more appealing. As a result, hippo numbers are rapidly decreasing. If hippos were to disappear completely, the effect on their habitat would be catastrophic. The large amount of waste hippos produce fertilizes the African ecosystem, and many species of fish eat the dung and feed on the small parasites that live on the hippos’ skin. Elephants, cheetahs, and many other “at risk” African animals have organizations focused on their conservation, but there is no such group devoted to the future of hippos. Right now, the most promising way to protect hippos is to continue to safeguard large areas of land, as national parks offer the greatest amount of protection against poaching. Sounds

Question: Which animal was once thought to sweat blood?
Answer: Hippopotamus