Why do hippos spend all day in the water and 'sweat' red?
Hippo's Red Glow
Why do hippos spend all day in the water and 'sweat' red?
Picture the laziest swimmer at the pool — the one who slides in at sunrise and refuses to leave. Now make it two tons of grumpy, glorious hippo. People say hippos "sweat blood," lounging in rivers all day and oozing red. It sounds like a horror story. It's actually a beauty routine.
First, the water. A hippo's body is enormous, and enormous bodies overheat fast under the African sun. Water is the world's best air conditioner — it carries heat away from the skin without any effort. So the river isn't laziness. It's the smartest thermostat a hippo could ask for.
