Patel C
Hippo_mouth_Imported Image
Maasai Mara Game Reserve
Hippo's Mouth
The hippo's jaw is powered by a large masseter (a muscle that runs through the rear part of the cheek from the temporal bone to the lower jaw on each side and closes the jaw in chewing)
and a well developed digastric (each of a pair of muscles that run under the jaw and act to open it) the latter loops up behind the former to the hyoid.
The jaw hinge is located far back enough to allow the animal to open its mouth at almost 180°.
Dr. Brady Barr measured the bite force of an adult female hippo at 1821 lbf;
Hippopotamus teeth sharpen themselves as they grind together. The lower canines and lower incisors are enlarged, especially in males, and grow continuously. The incisors can reach 16 in, while the canines reach up to 20 in).
Their skin secretes a natural sunscreen substance which is red-colored. The secretion is sometimes referred to as "blood sweat," but is neither blood nor sweat. This secretion is initially colorless and turns red-orange within minutes, eventually becoming brown. Two distinct pigments have been identified in the secretions, one red (hipposudoric acid) and one orange (norhipposudoric acid). The two pigments are highly acidic compounds. Both pigments inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria; as well, the light absorption of both pigments peaks in the ultraviolet range, creating a sunscreen effect. All hippos, even those with different diets, secrete the pigments, so it does not appear that food is the source of the pigments. Instead, the animals may synthesize the pigments from precursors such as the amino acid tyrosine.
I learned that late Mr. Shankerbhai M. Patel of my village as well as of my street use to collect hipposudoric acid and norhipposudoric acid from hippo. He was doing business of this solvent. These are are seeds of pharmaceutically important compounds. The secretions are not technically sweat because hippos don't have the small sebaceous glands that produce it. The deeper and bigger glands release liquid through skin holes that are visible to the naked eye.This secretions play much of a role in regulating body temperature and inhibits growth of two disease causing bacteria. The pigment in secretion absorbs light in ultraviolet range. Hippo synthesize the pigment from common precursors such as the amino acid tyrosine.
Hippo_mouth_Imported Image
Maasai Mara Game Reserve
Hippo's Mouth
The hippo's jaw is powered by a large masseter (a muscle that runs through the rear part of the cheek from the temporal bone to the lower jaw on each side and closes the jaw in chewing)
and a well developed digastric (each of a pair of muscles that run under the jaw and act to open it) the latter loops up behind the former to the hyoid.
The jaw hinge is located far back enough to allow the animal to open its mouth at almost 180°.
Dr. Brady Barr measured the bite force of an adult female hippo at 1821 lbf;
Hippopotamus teeth sharpen themselves as they grind together. The lower canines and lower incisors are enlarged, especially in males, and grow continuously. The incisors can reach 16 in, while the canines reach up to 20 in).
Their skin secretes a natural sunscreen substance which is red-colored. The secretion is sometimes referred to as "blood sweat," but is neither blood nor sweat. This secretion is initially colorless and turns red-orange within minutes, eventually becoming brown. Two distinct pigments have been identified in the secretions, one red (hipposudoric acid) and one orange (norhipposudoric acid). The two pigments are highly acidic compounds. Both pigments inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria; as well, the light absorption of both pigments peaks in the ultraviolet range, creating a sunscreen effect. All hippos, even those with different diets, secrete the pigments, so it does not appear that food is the source of the pigments. Instead, the animals may synthesize the pigments from precursors such as the amino acid tyrosine.
I learned that late Mr. Shankerbhai M. Patel of my village as well as of my street use to collect hipposudoric acid and norhipposudoric acid from hippo. He was doing business of this solvent. These are are seeds of pharmaceutically important compounds. The secretions are not technically sweat because hippos don't have the small sebaceous glands that produce it. The deeper and bigger glands release liquid through skin holes that are visible to the naked eye.This secretions play much of a role in regulating body temperature and inhibits growth of two disease causing bacteria. The pigment in secretion absorbs light in ultraviolet range. Hippo synthesize the pigment from common precursors such as the amino acid tyrosine.