Is there anything more terrifying than a creature weighing 3,600 kilogrammes flying towards you through the air? Perhaps not – and it is a reality. Well, sort of. Scientists have discovered that hippopotamuses can become airborne for substantial periods of time – for far longer than others of similar sizes. The new research by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has found that the mammals can stay in the air for up to 0.3 seconds at a time when moving at speed. They’re the second heaviest animal on earth – after elephants – but, unlike those beasts, hippos exclusively trot when moving, meaning …