Adventures in Ethics and Science

Hippo Thanksgiving.

Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel on November 27, 2008
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The younger Free-Ride offspring offers this drawing of a hippo exhorting you to remember Thanksgiving.

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Judging by the plate in the lower right hand corner of the picture, the hippo is pretty good with portion control. Possibly, though, after cleaning its plate the hippo will eat the cornucopia in the upper left hand corner. You never can tell with hippos.

Still, this hippo seems to have impeccable manners.

A question to ponder while digesting your meal: Why does the Russian language have two words for hippopotamus? Are (or were) there so many hippos roaming the steppes that you’d need an extensive hippo vocabulary to describe them?

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Comments

  1. #1 J-Dog
    November 27, 2008

    And I wish A Hippo Thanksgiving To You and your family too!

  2. #2 HP
    November 27, 2008

    Russian hippos: It’s just like ermines and stoats — during the cold winters, the Siberian Hippopotamus’s (Hippopotamus altaica) coat turns bright white, offering it protection against predators, such as the Volga Crocodile (Crocodylus volgaticus).

    Siberian Hippos are critically endangered, because the pelt in the white color phase was so highly prized by the Czars.

  3. #3 Moto Moto
    November 27, 2008

    baby… You so plumpin’

  4. #4 Dveduu
    November 30, 2008

    nice perspective on that hippo

  5. #5 hip hip array
    December 2, 2008

    One word is for hippo, the other word is for hippo in sour cream with dill and tiny pickles.