Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)Mammals, Other MammalsHippos spend the majority of the day soaking in water or mud to keep their skin moist and bodies cool. When submerged, just their eyes, ears and nostrils stick out of the water so they can still see, hear and smell what’s going on around them. At night, they come out to munch on grass. Temperatures must be 40 degrees or warmer for Fiona the hippo to be outside. The best time to see Fiona active is between 3pm-5pm. Hippo Cove Hippo Cove, home of the World’s most famous hippo, Fiona, was designed to bring visitors #CloseEnoughToCare! There is an underwater viewing area and an interactive play area for children young and old to learn and explore more about these giant and amazing animals. Learn More Saving H2O A single hippo can generate about 22 pounds of waste per day. The Cincinnati Zoo has two. With that much waste in a 70,000-gallon pool, it’s a challenge to keep the water clean enough for visitors to actually see the hippos. Thanks to a complex filtration system, and an enthusiastic school of poop-eating tilapia, visitors can see Bibi and Fiona through crystal clear water. The zoo has saved 1 billion gallons of water since 2005 and 100% of the water put into the habitat comes from rainwater. A 400,000-gallon underground detention tank below Painted Dog Valley collects rainwater that’s filtered and used to feed the streams, waterfalls, and pools in Africa and other habitats. VideoRisk Status [email protected] (IUCN—Vulnerable)