The post Watch a 4,000-Pound Hippo Casually Chase Off Five Crocs in Kenya’s Maasai Mara appeared first on A-Z Animals.
Watch the Video
Click here to watch on YouTube
Quick Take
A massive hippo calmly displaces five Nile crocodiles from a fresh kill in Kenya’s Maasai Mara.
Adult hippos dominate shared waterways and rarely back down from crocodiles.
Both hippos and Nile crocodiles rank among Africa’s most dangerous large animals.
While the lion may be the king of the jungle in the wide open plains of Africa, the boss is a different story. Whether you are a fierce lion, aggressive crocodile, or stealthy cheetah, they all have one thing in common. If the hippo boss says, “Move along,” they move along. We see this happening with not one, not two, but five crocodiles!
Hippopotamus Sighting in Kenya
The above YouTube video takes us to Kenya, Africa. Within Kenya, we are at the Maasai Mara, which is a National Reserve. This video was uploaded by the YouTube page Maasai Sightings. This channel is a leading resource for wildlife in Africa. They share their description of what happened in this video below.
“Although crocodiles are large, powerful creatures, they cannot kill a fully-grown hippo. Hippos are large, round animals that are much taller than crocodiles with far more deadlier teeth. The only place they would be vulnerable to attack is their legs.”
The Boss of Africa
At the start of this video, we see a small group of crocodiles that are feeding on an animal that they have killed. Most likely, this animal was striving to either cross this river and got caught, or it was drinking water, and the crocodiles rushed in and grabbed the prey.
It’s not long before the boss, the hippopotamus, comes strutting up to them. We see the hippo quietly nudging them along. He doesn’t need to be aggressive by any means. Because this boss has gained the respect, or rather fear, of these crocodiles, who know he is too big to mess with.
At about 39 seconds into the video, we see they offer some research behind the hippo and crocodile. “The hippo is more dangerous than the croc and has more deadly teeth. Due to their massive size and aggressive nature, crocodiles find it hard to attack a hippo.”
Is It Normal Behavior For Crocodiles and Hippos to Fight?
Saltwater crocodiles are not as aggressive as hippos.
©Firepac/Shutterstock.com
(Firepac/Shutterstock.com)
Crocodiles and hippos share the same habitat, so it is possible they might fight over various reasons; however, it isn’t common.
Additionally, the hippopotamus is known for its aggressive nature and holds the title of being the deadliest large land mammal on Earth. In Africa, it’s estimated that hippo attacks claim the lives of approximately 500 people each year.
Their danger doesn’t solely stem from their imposing size and weight, but also from their remarkably sharp teeth.
Furthermore, it’s a fact that crocodile attacks on humans can and do occur, but these incidents remain relatively rare. There are about 1,000 crocodile attacks on humans annually, leading to around 200 fatalities. Both Nile crocodiles and hippos are responsible for hundreds of human deaths in Africa each year. Exact numbers vary due to underreporting, but both species are considered among the continent’s most dangerous large animals.
Why Do Hippos Open Their Mouths So Wide?
Hippos have 36 teeth.
©Nick Greaves/Shutterstock.com
(Nick Greaves/Shutterstock.com)
Bosses of Africa are threatening to other animals by size alone. Weighing between 2,200 and 9,900 pounds and reaching up to 16 feet is enough to make any animal second-guess challenging them. However, every once in a while, we see a predator, typically an apex predator like a crocodile or lion, that wishes to try to step up. And when that happens, we see hippos open their mouths very wide.
According to the Kruger Park, hippo “bulls frequently open their mouths wide as a show of dominance. Whether intentionally or not, this shows off their weaponry.”
Watch the Video
Click here to watch the video.
The post Watch a 4,000-Pound Hippo Casually Chase Off Five Crocs in Kenya’s Maasai Mara appeared first on A-Z Animals.