Hippo vs Rhino: What’s the Difference?
The main difference between hippos and rhinos is that hippos are semi-aquatic, even-toed mammals with huge tusk-like teeth, related to whales, while rhinos are land-dwelling, odd-toed mammals with horns on the snout, related to horses. Hippos spend the day in rivers and lakes and graze at night. The white rhinoceros, compared here, grazes on open savanna and merely wallows in mud.
| Hippopotamus | White Rhinoceros | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Hippopotamus amphibius | Ceratotherium simum |
| Lifespan | 35–50 years in the wild | 35–40 years in the wild; occasionally up to 50 |
| Weight | 1,300–3,200 kg (2,870–7,050 lb) | 1,700–2,400 kg (3,750–5,290 lb) |
| Size | 1.3–1.65 m (4.3–5.4 ft) (shoulder height) | 1.5–1.85 m (4.9–6.1 ft) (shoulder height) |
| Top speed | 30 km/h (19 mph) | 50 km/h (31 mph) |
| Gestation / incubation | about 8 months (227–240 days) | about 16 months (roughly 490 days) |
| Diet | Herbivore | Herbivore |
| Family | Hippopotamidae | Rhinocerotidae |
| Habitat | River, Lake, Swamp, Floodplain grassland | Savanna, Grassland, Open woodland |
| IUCN status | Vulnerable | Near Threatened |
Figures shown are for the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).
Key differences
Family tree
Despite looking similar, the two are not closely related. Hippos are even-toed ungulates, order Artiodactyla, and their closest living relatives are whales and dolphins. Rhinos are odd-toed ungulates, order Perissodactyla, and their closest relatives are horses and tapirs. Their bulky, barrel-shaped bodies and thick skin evolved separately.
Feet
The difference in ancestry shows in the feet. A hippo has four toes on each foot, all touching the ground and slightly webbed, which spreads its weight on muddy riverbeds. A rhino has three toes on each foot, with the large middle toe bearing most of the load, leaving a track shaped like a clover leaf.
Horns versus tusks
A rhino's weapon is its horn, a solid mass of keratin, the protein in hair and nails, growing from the skin of the snout with no bony core. The white rhino has two. A hippo has no horns. Its weapons are enormous, ever-growing lower canines and incisors, displayed in a gape that opens to nearly 150 degrees.
Water dependence
Hippos must stay in water or mud during the day, because their nearly hairless skin dries and cracks quickly in the sun. Their eyes, ears and nostrils sit on top of the head. Oddly, they do not truly swim but walk or bound along the bottom. Rhinos drink and wallow to cool off, but live on land.
Skin
Hippo skin secretes a reddish, oily fluid once called 'blood sweat,' which is neither blood nor sweat. It acts as a sunscreen and appears to inhibit bacteria. Rhino skin is thick, gray and arranged in folds, and the animal coats itself in mud for protection against sun and biting insects.
Social life
Hippos are gregarious in the water, crowding together in pods of ten to a hundred or more under a dominant bull that defends a stretch of river, though they feed alone at night. White rhinos are the most sociable rhinos, with females and young forming small groups, while adult bulls hold solitary territories marked with dung heaps.
How to tell them apart
- Horns on the nose mean rhino. Hippos never have horns.
- A huge animal with only its eyes, ears and nostrils above water is a hippo.
- Hippos have smooth, purplish-gray and pink skin and short legs; rhinos are gray with a prominent shoulder hump and longer legs.
- Check the tracks: four toes mean hippo; three toes mean rhino.
What they have in common
Hippos and white rhinos are among the largest land mammals after elephants, and both are African grazers that use wide, square lips to crop short grass. Both are massive, thick-skinned and nearly hairless, have poor eyesight but good hearing and smell, and can run surprisingly fast. Both bear a single calf after a long pregnancy and are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.
Frequently asked questions
Who would win a fight, a hippo or a rhino?
It could go either way, and such fights are rare. The two are close in bulk. A white rhino's horn can inflict deep wounds, while a hippo's gape and long canines can cause massive injuries. Most encounters at waterholes end with one animal backing off, not with a serious battle.
Which is more dangerous to humans, a hippo or a rhino?
The hippo is considered far more dangerous and is often described as one of Africa's deadliest large animals. Hippos are territorial in water, overturn boats, and charge people who get between them and the river at night. White rhinos are comparatively placid, while black rhinos are more likely to charge.
Are hippos and rhinos related?
Only distantly. Both are hoofed mammals, but they belong to different orders that separated more than 50 million years ago. Hippos are more closely related to whales, pigs and cows than to rhinos, and rhinos are more closely related to horses and tapirs than to hippos.
Which is bigger, a hippo or a rhino?
They are similar in size, and both are often cited as the largest land mammal after elephants. The white rhino is usually rated slightly heavier on average and stands taller, while the hippo is longer-bodied and lower to the ground. The table above gives typical figures for both.