Hippos animals open mouth water. Afterwards mothers leave the herd for a short period of time to bond with their calves underwater. Check out this video to view large hippo opening their mouth so wide. A hippo needs plenty of water to accommodate its large size but it usually doesnt like water that is too deep or too shallow. In the case of hippos they usually had a pool of water and patch of grass.
As long as the water is deep enough to reach its head life is good for the hippo. To ward off enemies a hippo may yawn scoop water with its mouth shake its head rear up lunge roar grunt chase and make a loud wheezing sound all of which are threat displays. Believe it or not these large docile looking animals are actually very aggressive. Old scars and fresh deep wounds are signs of daily fights that are accompanied by much bellowing neighing and snorting.
Hippos have developed some ritualized postures the huge open mouthed yawn that reveals formidable teeth is one of the most aggressive. After a few weeks the calves finally exit the water to feed on grass. Hippo males especially use their canines for fighting. Like many zoo animals hippos were traditionally displayed in concrete exhibits.
In the 1980s zoo exhibits increasingly reflected native habitats. Hippos can open their mouths to a massive 150 degrees or 4 feet wide which show their large tusk like canines and razor sharp incisors capable of biting a small boat in half. Eight months after conception at the height of the wet season female hippos give birth to one calf at a time either on land or underwater. The common hippo lives in habitats of water and grass such as lakes rivers and mangrove swamps.
The toledo zoo hippoquarium features a 360000 gallon pool. A hippo can kill people if its provoked or feels threatened.