These beautifully painted hippos are hand carved from non-endangered Jacaranda wood. Each of these hippos are painted in the colourful Weya Art style. These sculptures are made by artists scattered throughout Zimbabwe, mainly in remote rural areas. Much care as is taken in the carving and finishing of a product and also in the selection, maintenance and delivery of these fabulous one-of-a-kind sculptures.

What’s in a name?

“Hippopotamus” comes from a Greek word meaning “water or river horse.” But hippos are not related to horses at all—in fact, their closest living relatives may be pigs or whales and dolphins! There are two species of hippopotamus: the river, or common, hippo Hippopotamus amphibius and the much smaller pygmy hippo Hexaprotodon liberiensis. The hippo is the next heaviest land mammal, after the elephant.

Come on in, the water’s fine!

Hippos are definitely adapted for life in the water and are found living in  rivers and lakes in Africa. With their eyes, ears, and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see, and breathe while most of their body is underwater. Hippos also have a set of built-in goggles: a clear membrane covers their eyes for protection while still allowing them to see when underwater. Their nostrils close and they can hold their breath for five minutes or longer when submerged. Yet despite all these adaptations for life in the water, hippos can't swim! They can't even float! Their bodies are far too dense to float, so they move around by pushing off from the bottom of the river or simply walking along the riverbed in a slow-motion gallop, lightly touching the bottom with their toes like aquatic ballet dancers.

Blood sweat

Hippos have unique skin that needs to be kept wet for a good part of the day. Staying out of the water for too long can lead to dehydration, so hippos try to stay in the water during the day. They don’t have true sweat glands; instead, hippos secrete a thick, red substance from their pores known as "blood sweat" because it looks like the animal is sweating blood. But not to worry! The blood sweat creates a layer of mucous that protects hippo skin from sunburn and keeps it moist. It is thought that this mucous may also prevent infections because even large wounds don't get infected despite the filthy water hippos sometimes live in.