did you know that hippos have red "sweat"?
alot of people's first thought is that the hippo is either bleeding or such but that's really not the case.
you see, hippos dont actually sweat. they dont have sweat glands. instead this discharge is being released from mucous glands.
this discharge acts as a kind of sunscreen for them, I mean, after all they do stand in direct sun for most of the day. the fluid is kinda like a skin moisturizer, water repellent, and antibiotic for them.
the fluid on the hippo appears red in full sunlight, but its actually a mixture of colours. the main pigments in this discharge is orange and red, and scientists actually have names for these coloured pigments.
the red pigement is called; "hipposudoric acid"
the orange pigment is called; "norhipposudoric acid"
the orange pigment will abodrb ultraviolet raditaion that is given off by the sun, while the red pigment acts as an antibody.
hippos skin is extremly sentisve to dying out and sunburn, so this oily discharges job is meant to help them with that.
my sources for this were:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-hippopotamuses-actuall/#:~:text=Hippos%20secrete%20a%20reddish%20oily,special%20glands%20in%20their%20skin.&text=Their%20skin%20is%20very%20sensitive,hippo%20is%20in%20the%20water.
https://www.thoughtco.com/do-hippos-sweat-blood-3976013
https://www.hippohaven.com/hippo-blood-sweat/
The credit for the photo is:
https://amazing.zone/hippos-sweat-in-pink-how-cool-is-that
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