When people picture hippos, they usually imagine them swimming calmly in African rivers. But that image is misleading. Despite spending much of their lives in water, hippos can’t swim, at least not in the way you might expect.

What they can do, however, is move underwater in a way that looks surprisingly graceful — almost like they’re flying.

Why Hippos Can’t Swim

Hippos have dense bodies and very heavy bones. Unlike many other mammals, they don’t float in water. Instead, they sink. This is why hippos avoid deep water where they can’t touch the bottom.

They also don’t paddle