Hippopotami

How many hippopotami did you see today?

To avoid being drawn into a debate on whether the correct plural of hippopotamus is 'hippopotamuses' or 'hippopotami', I usually use the short plural, 'hippos'.

Other small sculptures include two hippopotami, on display legless and upside down. Mr. Romano says the ancient Egyptians broke off the legs before putting the figures in the tombs, to keep them from running around the tomb in the afterlife. He says restorers put on new legs, which the staff at the Museum removed for the sake of historical accuracy.