Hippos Can Do Anything They Want

Everyone knows about the big majestic hippopotamus. They are herbivorous mammals that are freaking huge – weighing anywhere from one-and-a-half to four tons, and they grow as long as 14 ft long. The ancient Greeks often referred to them as the “river horses” as they are known to devote as much as 16 hours of their days swimming along river bottoms and lake bottoms in Africa – with just their nostrils and their eyes peaking just above the waterline.

Even they eat mostly plants – in fact, about 80 pounds of plants and grass daily – they are not your typical herbivore who is peaceful and docile. Hippos are perhaps the most aggressive living beings on the planet. They will easily snap boats and canoes in two using their powerful and massive jaws. On average, they kill around 500 people annually in Africa.

Unfortunately, like many other animals, the hippo has become vulnerable and their numbers have been dropping. They are constantly being threatened by the loss of their habitat and through illegal hunting. Hunters seek out their meat as well as their ivory canine teeth. The biggest concentration of them in Africa is the Luangwa Valley in Zambia.

Young Hippo Playing with Crocodiles

In murky waters, a young hippo calf goes after a full grown crocodile. He nudges at it and chases it around, but the reptile is reluctant as it attempts to ignore the little 100-pound nuisance. The young hippo brings the little onto dry land, and there it continually pokes at the croc. But the croc stills wants no part of the game and it certainly wants no part of the hippo’s mother.

Hippos Not Alarmed by Lion Attacks

Another animal that needs to be avoided in the wild at all costs is the lion. Although big cats generally look for much easier prey than hunting hippos, they have been known to go after them on occasion.

Often times, when a lion attaches itself to a large hippo, it will usually struggle trying to take down a big hippo. In fact, hippos have been known to fend off several big cats at a time and remain unfazed.

The thing is that a hippo is capable to running as fast as humans over short distances. Therefore, they have decent ability to evade – if they even want to.

The worst thing about lions in regards to hippos is that they are very curious creatures. But when they are hanging out around the most aggressive creatures on the planet, they have to watch out.

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