For good reason, said Jonathan Shurin, a UC San Diego biologist: “These are large, charismatic animals.”AdvertisementThey are also among nature’s prima donnas, requiring careful handling. “Neither is true of hippos.”One of Colombia’s “cocaine hippos” grazes on the shore of the Magdalena River. (Shurin Lab / UC San Diego)Advertisement“The closest thing to hippos in the Americas now are tapirs,” Shurin said. Nor do they pose the same sort of danger — territorial animals, hippos have been known to rush people who stray too close. (Natalie Jones / UC San Diego)‘Organic material’Nocturnal by nature, the Colombian hippos eat large quantities of grass, grazing all night and every night.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 09, 2020 21:00 UTC