麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

High-speed hippos can get airborne, says new study

Researchers found that all four of a hippo's limbs leave the ground when they trot at high speeds. (Warren Little / Getty Images via CNN Newsource) Researchers found that all four of a hippo's limbs leave the ground when they trot at high speeds. (Warren Little / Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
Share

Hippos can get airborne when moving at high speeds over land, according to a new study.

This is the first time that the animals, which can weigh more than 2,000 kilograms (2.2 tons) and spend much of their time in water, have been found to lift all four limbs off the ground when moving quickly, according to a statement from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the UK.

After analyzing videos showing 169 movement cycles from 32 hippos, researchers found that the fastest-moving animals spend around 15 per cent of each stride off the ground.

John Hutchinson, study lead author and a professor of evolutionary biomechanics at the RVC, told CNN that very little was known about the way that hippos move on land.

鈥淗ippos were a big missing part of the puzzle,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really hard to study.鈥

Not only do they spend a lot of time in water, they are 鈥渧ery aggressive and dangerous鈥 and are more active at night, said Hutchinson.

In the videos studied by researchers, hippos tended to move fast when something motivated them, such as chasing a rival hippo or being chased by lions or rhinos, he said.

The team also found that hippos almost exclusively trot 鈥 with two diagonal limbs moving in the same direction at the same time, and then the two other diagonal limbs 鈥 no matter what speed they are moving at, whereas other mammals such as horses switch from a walk to a trot to a gallop depending on their speed.

鈥淗ippos are one of the very few four legged animals at all that just trot,鈥 said Hutchinson. 鈥淭hat was a pretty neat finding.鈥

The results could help inform the way that hippos are kept in captivity, as well as helping to detect and monitor whether hippos are suffering physical issues, said Huntchinson.

One sample video that showed a baby pygmy hippo galloping has provided Hutchinson with a jumping off point for future research, he said, adding he wants to investigate whether small hippos, such as baby hippos and baby pygmy hippos, are able to gallop but lose this ability when they grow.

The was published Wednesday in the journal PeerJ.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'

A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.

A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.

At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday morning, sources told Noovo Info.

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.