Hippopotamus
Afrikaans name : Seekoei
Scientific name : (order Artiodactyla). family : Hippopotamidae / common hippopotamus : species Hippopotamus amphibius / pygmy hippopotamus : species Choeropsis liberiensis. 

Region : Native to lakes and rivers throughout sub-Saharan Africa but now restricted to parts of eastern and southeastern Africa
Description : Hippopotamuses are the second largest land mammal, the largest non-ruminating, even-toed, hoofed mammals, ( found only in Africa). Heavy-bodied, short-legged and tailed, they have large heads with small eyes and ears on the top of their heads. Their mouths are enormous with long, pointed  tusk like canine teeth of good quality ivory which grow up to 70 cm long and weigh almost 3 kg. Skin thick and almost hairless gray-brown with blue-black upperparts and pink underparts.
Habitat :  Hippopotamuses have been seen in mountain rivers at  more than 1500 m above sea level and at temperatures near freezing. Their preferred habitat is rivers lakes, swamps, or other permanent bodies of water  with adjacent marshes of reeds, and grasslands. Hippopotamuses are capable of remaining underwater for as long as 25 minutes
Weight : max. 3600  kg.
Height : max.  165  cm. Length :  max. 5 m
Food :  They are vegetarian animals, during the day they feed relatively lightly on aquatic vegetation and often swim up to 30 km or more looking for food. At night they emerge on to the land to feed heavily on grass that they crop with their thick hard lips. An adult hippo consumes 60kg of grass each night. They are also known to eat the fruit and flowers of the sausage tree. They are never far from water, their grazing range extends inland for about 3 km max. 
Habits : Hearing, sight  and smell are excellent. Though gregarious, hippopotamuses tend to be aggressive. They travel in herds of about 10 to 15 animals, but groups of 150 individuals have been observed and as many as 2,000 have been seen in a 32 km length of river. A strong male will control his territory, in and out of the water. All of the mothers and calves form a nursery herd. Most of the hippos in the herd are females that spend their day wallowing or looking after their young. The relatively few males in the area spend their day battling one another for control of the females and the right to mate.
Young : Hippos mate in shallow water, mainly during the dry season. The cow bears one young. Grazes after 4/6 months. Maturity on 4 years. Gestation period  8 months. 
Predators : Leopards, Hyena, Lion, Crocodiles, and wild dogs prey on the young hippos. Adults are rarely attacked by other kinds of animals.
Longevity : They can live for up to 40 years.