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. The hippopotamus is not a pet, it is nature's morbidly obese psychopath.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

Flickr: leblanc0444

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

Flickr: travelphotos

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

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