Hippopotamus wallowing in shallow water, Virunga National Park, Congo (Democratic Republic)

During daylight hours, the common hippo spends almost all its time wallowing in shallow water. In the evenings, after the hot sun has set, common hippos come out of the water for a night of grazing. While hippos like to feed on patches of short grasses (called "hippo lawns") close to water, sometimes they must travel several miles (kilometers) to find food, making long trips on land to new lakes or rivers. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Group W (Westinghouse Broadcasting Company) and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.