How do hippopotamuses use scent marks along paths to grasslands?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

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.

Hippopotamuses use dung piles along paths leading inland to grasslands as olfactory signposts, which function as scent markers at night. Both territorial and subordinate male hippos create these piles, which help individuals recognize one another through scent. This behavior is significant because hippos often travel along these familiar paths in the dark, sometimes following one another in a nose-to-tail formation during their nightly treks to feed.1