Eli5 why hippos can’t swim because of their weight yet blue whales can
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I think the confusion here comes from the idea of weight vs density. An aircraft carrier is very heavy too, yet it floats. Hippos live on the land at least some of the time and they are big animals, so they need very strong bones to support their weight. A whale has no such need for heavy dense bones. The end result is the hippo is denser than water and sinks while the whale is less dense or neutral so it can maintain any depth it likes.
That said, it’s a little silly to say they “can’t swim”. If you watch underwater videos you will see them gliding along quite quickly in the water while only occasionally touching the ground. and they shoot up to the surface, and then back down to the bottom. What they can’t do is float.
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