Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus, more commonly referred to as the hippo, is a large semi-aquatic mammal. Hippos range in color from almost pink to nearly black though most are a deep purple. While generally peaceful, hippos will become violent if attacked or approached too closely. They are deceptively fast in the water and on land, and this combined with their large size leads most predators and people to give them wide berth. In addition hippos sport four large teeth giving them a vicious bite capable of seriously wounding or killing most creatures their size or smaller.

Hippos usually spend their days lounging partially or entirely submerged in bodies of water while coming ashore at night to feed. Hippos are voracious creatures, and even a lone hippo can easily devastate a garden or field in a single night. In addition hippos can wreck havoc on structures such as fences, walls, and small buildings as well as small trees by rubbing against, leaning on them, or trying to climb over them.

In Ravenloft, hippos are found in Fallaya Basin though in lesser numbers than in the past. Once common enough in the main rivers to impede navigation, their numbers have been greatly reduced, though it is still not uncommon to find small herds or individuals near the banks of the wider sections of the river. They are now most commonly found in the outer regions of the Deep Swamp. These outer regions provide relatively easy access to more solid ground on which to graze while the shallow, shifting waters provide some protection against human hunters whose larger boats have difficulty maneuvering in the shallow swamps. In addition grung hunters venture into these areas less often than they do the interior parts of the Deep Swamp

Though dangerous prey, hippos continue to be hunted in the Fallaya Basin. An adult hippo yields several hundred pounds of edible meat, a hide that can be tanned into a thick leather, and bones and organs which can be sold for uses both ameliorative and less savory. More than all this though the teeth of the hippo are one of the few sources of ivory in Ravenloft, and as such are valuable even in their raw form though worked bits of hippo teeth are rarer and more valuable still. Amongst the fishherders and the settled people of the Fallaya Basin there exist a few craftsmen capable of working hippo teeth into bits of scrimshander and flutes.