What color is a hippo's milk?

A few hours later, it loses its blood-like luster and shifts into a dirty brown color [source: Hahimoto et al.]. During the period that the hippo's secretions are at their orange-red peak, it's possible that some could mix with the milk, giving it a pinkish hue. read more

The hippopotamus, however, does not produce pink milk. This claim is based on the combination of two unrelated facts: Hippos secrete hippusudoric acid, which has a reddish pigmentation. When white (the color of milk) and red (the color of hippusudoric acid) combine, the resultant mixture is pink. read more

Hippos are the only mammals that produce pink milk; there were many who believed that Yak’s milk is also pink but the fact is that when a Yak gives birth to a calf, the first milk produced contains blood that gives it a pink color and is known by the name of “Beastings”. read more

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 in 2013. read more