New Study Reveals Hippos Can Briefly Become Airborne While Running

Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College found hippos lift all four feet off the ground for 0.3 seconds during high-speed trots.

Hippos can reach speeds of up to 30 km/h, becoming airborne for 15% of their stride.
The study analyzed 169 running cycles from 32 hippos using high-speed cameras.
This unique gait is unlike other large mammals such as elephants and rhinos.
The findings could inform better care and enclosure design for hippos in captivity.
Researchers aim to explore if baby and pygmy hippos exhibit different locomotion abilities.