Hippo Floats Belly-Up And Everyone Thinks He's Dead - Until He Moves And Visitors Learn The Truth

Nov 16, 2018 by apost team

Everyone loves seeing a kooky animal that personifies silly human habits. We love to look at an animal with a strange habit and think, “well, you certainly don’t see something like that every day!”

This group of tourists saw a hippo floating belly up and thought the worst. Nobody wants to see an animal do something out of the ordinary when it means that they are ill or worse, dead. In New Delhi, India, visitors of the National Zoological Park were very concerned for this majestic creature – who turned out to only be snoozing!

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Like man of us humans, this hippo was simply taking a nap in a somewhat unconventional position, giving those watching visitors a bit of a scare. Hippos are most often known for sleeping on their bellies in shallow water – but not this one! He did give the belly a try, though, just to be safe.

The silly hippo shifted, as onlookers watched, from his back to his belly, only to decide that it just wasn’t as comfy. He settled right back to his tummy-up position, for more high-quality daytime dozing.

Hippos are lucky in being able to sleep on their bellies, despite their bodies being mostly covered in water when in this position. They are able to due to the location of their nostrils, ears, and eyes. All of these are located on the top of their head, allowing them to be almost fully submerged while still maintaining the ability to see, hear, and breathe easily.

Of course, hippos can also see very well underwater, with a thin membrane over the eyes acting as goggles that are built right in to their anatomy. When fully submerged like this, hippos can even hold their breath for up to five minutes at a time – some even longer! Many hippos even fall asleep this way, as they have a built-in reflex that bobs the nose above the surface, allows them to take a breath, and return below water without ever waking. Fascinating!

This hippo has probably slept underwater many times, but must have felt like disregarding his evolutionary advantages for the afternoon. Or, perhaps he just wanted to get a nice suntan!

What do you think of this suntanning rebel? Have you ever seen anything like it? Maybe you have a pet like this hippo who likes to think outside the box! Let us know in the comments below!