Hippos, weighing over 5,000 lbs, can get airborne when moving at high speeds, according to a new study by the Royal Veterinary College in the UK. This groundbreaking discovery shows that hippos can lift all four limbs off the ground, with the fastest hippos spending about 15% of each stride airborne. John Hutchinson, the study's lead author, emphasized the difficulty of studying these nocturnal, aggressive animals. Researchers analyzed 169 movement cycles from 32 hippos, finding that hippos almost exclusively trot, regardless of speed. Unlike other mammals that switch from walking to trotting to galloping, hippos consistently move with two diagonal limbs at a time. The study's results could improve hippo care in captivity and help monitor their physical health. A video of a baby pygmy hippo galloping has prompted further research into whether smaller hippos can gallop but lose this ability as they mature.