6 Reasons Hippos Are Terrifying

As the poor sap who was mauled to death by his pet hippo unfortunately found out, hippos are not cute and cuddly—they are 5 ton murder machines.

They’ve been clocked running on land at 30mph.

Via: dailymail.co.uk

The average height of a hippo is 5ft (excluding pygmy hippos), but they have been known to grow taller. They range in weight from 2 to 5 tons.

Via: dailymail.co.uk

A hippo’s incisors can grow up to 20 inches long and can easily pierce another hippo’s leathery hide, let alone a human’s flesh. A hippo’s jaws have a bite force of nearly 2,000 lbs per square inch.

Via: dailymail.co.uk

Hippos secrete a red, viscous substance referred to as “blood sweat.” It’s not actually blood, and it’s exact function is not known (it’s speculated to be a sun screen or an anti-bacterial agent), but hippos seem to excrete it when they are excited or agitated.

Via: dailymail.co.uk

Hippos are known as one of the most aggressive animals in the world. They frequently attack humans with no provocation.

Source: leblanc0444

That’s 75 times more humans a year than are killed by sharks.

Source: travelphotos

7. And Then There’s This

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=aA7iAMTAWHM.