The pink hippo milk rumor has been spreading across the web for some time, but it really gained footing in 2013, when National Geographic posted about the hippo's rose-colored milk on both its Facebook and its Twitter pages. Is the rumor true? Let's examine the facts. Although the hippopotamus doesn't have many predators, it is threatened by poaching for its meat, fat, and ivory teeth.
Other threats include the loss of its habitat and human. A rumor that hippopotamus milk is pink has been spreading on the internet for many years. This is seen exquisitely in a Facebook post from National Geographic on July 26th, 2013, when they incorrectly posted that hippo milk was pink.
Once Nat Geo posted the "fact," however, it was soon everywhere. National Geographic online may have perpetuated the rumor that hippos produce pink milk with a Facebook post in 2013, but the magazine's page on the hippopotamus and its fact sheet on National. It seems that even National Geographic got this wrong back in 2013, posting this on Facebook: "Friday Fact: A hippo's milk is bright pink".
Whoops! It seems that this false claim is based on two actual facts. Hippopotamus produce two secretions: one red (hipposudoric acid) and one orange (norhipposudoric acid). Hippo milk is white.
Hippo facts for kids. Learn all about where hippos live, what they eat, how they have adapted and more here at National Geographic Kids. Hippo milk is sadly not pastel-colored.
The rumor has been in the mill for a number of years. But it was really given legs in 2013 when National Geographic posted the following on Facebook - "Friday fact: A hippo's milk is bright pink." Of course, coming from such a traditionally reliable source, the rumour really ran after that. Like all mammals, hippos produce milk for their offspring that is a white/off white colour.
The longer answer is that the 'pink hippo milk' rumour has been doing the rounds online for some years now, and was taken into the mainstream by a National Geographic Facebook post on 26 July 2013, stating that 'a hippo's milk is bright pink'. This all came to a head in 2013 when National Geographic published on social media stating, "Friday fact: A hippo's milk is bright pink." Although the social media platform of Nat Geo perpetuated the myth about pink milk, it's important to remember that neither National Geographic's page on hippopotamuses nor their fact sheet on.