Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus, 1758.

This is a heavily built, almost hairless animal with short legs. It is 300-400 cm long, 130-165 cm high at the shoulder; weighs 3000-4500 kg. Its color is purplish grey-brown with pinkish patches on the face. The massive head has the eyes, small erect ears, and nostrils on the upper side allowing them to remain above water, while the rest of the animal is submerged. The Hippopotamus lives in rivers and lakes surrounded by grasslands and is herbivorous, eating mainly terrestrial grasses. It is nocturnal and spends much of the day sleeping underwater. The gestation period is eight months; a single calf is born and the parents can be aggressive and defend the calf vigorously. It is a widespread inhabitant of most river systems in Africa. In Egypt, it was a familiar animal during the Pharaonic period but has been extinct since the 1800s.