As summer rapidly approaches, it brings with it the hot sun, dark tans, and skin burns. As undesirable as skin burns are, many people use things like sunscreen to combat this, while those who do not, become susceptible to things like skin damage. Now, Imagine a world in which there was no need for sunscreen. This is the world of the Hippopotamus, more commonly known as the Hippo.
Wikimedia commons via Micha L. Rieser
Hippos puzzled people for many years, as they appeared to sweat out blood. Studies have busted this myth, revealing that the Hippopotamus releases a sticky secretion from its skin, which is originally colourless. This colourless substance later changes its colour to red, giving rise to the idea of “bloody sweat”. This occurs due to two little pigments in its skin, which polyerize. One of them is orange (called: “norhipposudoric acid” ) and the other red ( called: “hipposudoric acid”). Both of these pigments absorb Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation, offering protection from the suns harmful rays, whereas the red pigment specifically, has anti-bacterial properties. This helps the hippo fight disease-causing agents like bacteria and viruses, as well has helping it recover from wounds. This is very important as hippos tend to fight a lot , leaving lots of wounds, scratches, and cuts.
Wikimedia Commons via William Warby
This amazing sweat not only protects the hippopotamus from the sun, but also helps keep its skin moist, which is crucial for this large animal. This is because it sticks onto the hippos skin – wet or dry, which is very convenient as the hippo spends a large portion of the day in the water.
Wikimedia via BS Thurner Hof
Great interest has been generated from this perspiration, as scientists and entrepreneurs a like, marvel at the idea of producing a similar product for humans, with the properties of sunscreen, sunblock,as well as being an antiseptic. No such product has yet been synthesized, but the future looks promising!
-Tabish Khan
