When looking at a hippo it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume it swims like a manatee.
I can appreciate they’re pretty quick on land despite their little legs, I imagine there is mad power in those stumpy bois. But in the water how do they get any real propulsion and how do they glide through with such wide and seemingly non hydrodynamic bodies?
I’ve seen videos of them chasing down speedboats, it defies logic. What’s going on under there?
In: Biology
We are used to seeing things on land. Cheetahs and deer are fast and lean. Tortoises and cows are slower and heavier.
On land going fast is about minimizing the amount of weight to the amount of muscles moving that weight. You are stronger than a dog or a cat, but even though you are bigger and stronger, a dog or cat is probably much faster than you. If you were to weigh a dog or a cat, the weight of the muscles in their legs would be a much larger portion of their overall weight.
Moving through water is different. Most animals don’t have to use much muscle to support their buddies. Its about moving through the water. If you have ever seen a dog or a cat in the water, you will probably notice they are not much faster than you.
Hippos have a LOT of muscle, and on land they are pretty fast. The fat and other tissue slows them down, but in the water, it doesn’t.
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