Do hippopotamuses sweat to cool themselves?

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A hippopotamus stands at the edge of a watering hole, with several other hippos partially submerged in the water, surrounded by green vegetation in Botswana, Africa. — hippopotamus The word *hippopotamus* is Greek for “river horse,” which reflects their behavior: they are often seen basking on the banks or sleeping in the waters of rivers, lakes, and swamps across Africa. They favor shallow areas where they can sleep half-submerged, though these places can become quite crowded—as many as 150 hippos may use one pool in the dry season.

No, hippopotamuses do not sweat to cool themselves. Because they do not possess the ability to sweat, they must retreat to rivers, lakes, or swamps to regulate their body temperature and avoid dehydration.12

Instead of sweat, hippos have specialized skin glands that secrete an oily, reddish or pinkish substance often referred to as a "lotion". This secretion is the source of the ancient myth that hippos sweat blood; in reality, the pigment functions as a natural sunblock by filtering out ultraviolet radiation.12