Episode guide
Hippos: The Science of Sinking
Hippos are too dense to float, so they do something better: they walk along the river bottom, slow as astronauts. This episode wades in beside them.
The science, gently
- Hippos sink naturally and bounce-walk along riverbeds in slow motion.
- They can nap in the water, rising to breathe without fully waking.
- Their skin makes its own red-tinted natural sunscreen.
Wonder together
- Would you rather float like an otter or moon-walk like a hippo?
- How do you think a body remembers to breathe without waking?
- What is your slowest, heaviest, coziest way to move?
Tonight's calm-down
Be heavy on purpose: let arms, legs, and head sink into the riverbed of the mattress. Your breathing will rise for air all by itself, as it has every night of your life.