Hippos Secrete Red Sweat!

The hippopotamus is a large, mostly herbivorous semi-aquatic mammal belonging to the Hippopotamidae family and has a scientific name Hippopotamus amphibius.
Hippos have barrel-shaped torsos, wide-opening mouths with large canine tusks, almost hairless bodies, columnar legs, and large size; adults averaging about 1,400 kg. They can run up to 20mph. They live in mangroves and swamps and are highly aggressive and unpredictable. They are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth.




The word hippopotamus is derived from Greek, where it means 'the horse of the river'.
Hippos mystified ancient Greeks because they appeared to sweat blood. Actually, they secrete a sticky liquid that acts as a sunscreen and topical antibiotic.

When the animals first secrete this liquid through special sweat glands, it is colorless. Polymerization reactions happen to lead the liquid becoming red, and finally brown. Perspiration droplets resemble blood droplets, but as they contain a high amount of mucous, they don't get washed away by water and stick to the wet skin.


Research has shown that these compounds are non-benzenoid aromatic compounds. they are acidic in nature The red pigment is called "hipposudoric acid", while the orange pigment, is called "norhipposudoric acid". They absorb harmful Ultraviolet Radiation of the Sun, and act as a natural antibiotic, keeping the animals safe while keeping them cool.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 31, 2020 at 4:44 AM

    Why their sweat glands are different from humans¿?!!

    ReplyDelete

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