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Lets Learn
About hippos

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Lets Learn
About hippos

Copyright 2013. Red River Press Inc.

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Lets talk about hippos.
1. What color are hippos?
2. Do you know where hippos live?
3. Do you think hippos prefer water or land?
4. Which is bigger, a lion or a hippo?

Lets read about hippos.

Did you know that hippos wear sunscreen? Hippos live in Africa
where the sun is very hot. They have thin skin that needs special
protection just like ours.
When hippos lie on the
beach their grey skin turns
pink. Don't worry. The
hippos aren't getting
sunburns. Their natural
sunscreen is a red colored
oil. It squirts out when a
hippo is drying in the sun.
Hippos spend most of their
time in the river, though. In
fact, Hippopotamus means river horse. Hippos keep their eyes, ears,
and nostrils above the water and sometimes use each other as
pillows. They aren't as lazy as they look, though. Did you know that
hippos yawn when they are angry? They open their mouths wide to
show off their gigantic teeth. This is how they scare away other
animals. Hippos are the third largest animal in the world. Can you
guess which animals are bigger than hippos?

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So what do you know about hippos?

1. Why do hippos turn pink sometimes?
_________________________________________________________________
2. Where do hippos spend most of their time?
_________________________________________________________________
3. Which continent has hippos?
_________________________________________________________________
4. What does the word hippopotamus mean?
_________________________________________________________________
5. Why do hippos yawn so much?
_________________________________________________________________

BONUS QUESTION:
Which African animal do you think weighs more than a hippopotamus?
Choose 2!
a lion
a giraffe
an elephant
a white rhinoceros
a zebra
a black rhinoceros

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Mix and Match
Directions: Draw a line between the words in the left column to the
meanings in the right column.
WORDS

MEANINGS

1. sunscreen

a) a group of animals living close together

2. lazy

b) sleeps or rests a lot

3. wide

c) something you are born with

4. pillow

d) a soft head rest

5. herd

e) skin protection

6. natural

f) open as far as it can

Crossword Time
Across
1. open the mouth wide
4. the biggest
6. a light shade of red
Down
2. two small holes used for breathing
3. skin damage from the sun
5. how liquid comes out of something

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Mighty Maze
Did you know that...

hippos

at
can

run
much

him

some
faster

bugs

than
then
her
humans

Now write the full question. ________________________________________________________?

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Teachers Notes

Other interesting facts about hippos:

1. Hippos don't really swim. They gallop underwater. It looks like they are walking on the moon.
2. A hippo baby is called a calf. Hippo calves live in a group called a nursery.
3. The leader of the hippo herd is the beach master. He decides when it is time for all of the
hippos to eat, sleep, and play.
4. Hippos eat at night. They can eat 40 kg of grass each day. That's about the size of a ten year
old child.
5. In the wild, hippos are very dangerous. They can bite a crocodile or a boat in half.
Comprehension Answers:
1. Hippos have a natural sunscreen that turns their skin pink.
2. Hippos are from Africa.
3. Hippos spend most of their time in the river.
4. "Hippopotamus" means river horse.
5. Hippos yawn when they are angry or afraid.
Bonus Question answer: elephants, white rhinos
Vocabulary
Answers:
1e,
2b,

3f,

4d,

5a,

6c

Crossword Time
Across
1. open the mouth wide (yawn)
4. the biggest (largest)
6. a light shade of red (pink)
Down
2. two small holes used for breathing (nostrils)
3. skin damage from the sun (sunburn)
5. how liquid comes out of something (squirts)
Mighty Maze
Did you know that: hippos can run much faster than humans?

Copyright 2013. Red River Press Inc.