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This episode of "Discovery Wild Safari"
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is brought to you by Little Debbie.
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Welcome to "Discovery World Safari."
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On today's episode, the hippopotamus.
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Hippos once had a broader distribution,
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but now live in eastern, central, and southern sub-Saharan Africa,
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where the populations are in decline.
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Hippos are the third-largest land mammal species on Earth,
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after elephants and white rhinos.
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They weigh about 7,900 pounds and are 15 feet long.
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They spend 16 hours a day in water,
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which is why the Greeks them the "river horse."
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Hippos are graceful in water and can hold their breath
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for up to five minutes.
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Their eyes and nostrils are located
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high on their heads, which allows them to see and breathe
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while mostly submerged.
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Hippos secrete an oily, red substance
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that is a skin moistener, bug repellent, and sunblock.
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Their hide alone weighs half a ton.
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At sunset, hippos leave the water and graze on land.
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They may eat some 80 pounds of grass
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in one evening, which proportionately
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isn't that much food.
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They may run back to the water as fast as 13 miles per hour
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if they feel threatened.
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