{"id":290198,"date":"2026-02-18T16:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/290198\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T16:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:40:12","slug":"astonishing-power-and-resilience-of-hippos-revealed-in-16-incredible-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/290198\/","title":{"rendered":"Astonishing power and resilience of hippos revealed in 16 incredible photos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With a rotund body, short legs and gigantic head, hippopotamuses, or hippos, are among the most striking-looking animals in Africa.<\/p>\n<p>These characterful semi-aquatic herbivores really are huge, with some individuals weighing as much as 3,200 kg \u2013 that&#8217;s roughly as heavy as a female <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/asian-elephants-guide\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Asian elephant<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite often being cited as &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/most-dangerous-animal-in-africa\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the most dangerous animal in Africa<\/a>&#8216;, these powerful mammals also have a soft side. This stunning gallery of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/facts-about-hippos\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hippo<\/a> photos shows them in all their glory.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippo-running-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippo running\" class=\"wp-image-153270\"\/>Despite their cumbersome appearance, these large mammals can reach running speeds of around 20 mph. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2134\" height=\"1405\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippo-in-mud.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippo in mud\" class=\"wp-image-153267\"\/>A hippo wallows in a muddy pool in Katavi National Park, Tanzania. It&#8217;s important for these animals to keep their skin cool and wet to protect themselves against the heat of the sun. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippopotamus-in-the-Okavango-Delta-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Aerial view of Hippopotamus\" class=\"wp-image-153271\"\/>Hippos, such as this one in the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana, can hold their breath for up to five minutes. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippos-in-the-Okavango-Delta-Botswana.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippos in Botswana\" class=\"wp-image-153331\"\/>Two males clash in the Okavango Delta. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippo-feeding.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippo feeding\" class=\"wp-image-153263\"\/>Hippos are herbivores and eat grass, leaves, fruit and aquatic plants. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Egret-helps-a-hippo-check-its-teeth-in-the-Zambezi-River-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Egret helps a hippo check its teeth in the Zambezi River\" class=\"wp-image-153261\"\/>An egret on the hunt for parasites in the open mouth of a hippo on the Zambezi River \u2013 Africa&#8217;s fourth-longest river. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippo-at-Mana-Pools-National-Park-Zimbabwe.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippo at Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe\" class=\"wp-image-153262\"\/>A hippo at Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippos-in-South-Africa-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Aerial view of a group of hippos\" class=\"wp-image-153276\"\/>An aerial photo shows hippos wallowing in the muddy waters of iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippo-in-Botswana.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippo in Botswana\" class=\"wp-image-153266\"\/>Hippos can produce a range of sounds, including grunts, growls and moans. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippo-in-Tanzania.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippo\" class=\"wp-image-153268\"\/>These water-loving animals can close their nostrils and ears to stop liquid from entering. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2200\" height=\"1407\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippos-in-pool.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippos in pool\" class=\"wp-image-153275\"\/>A group of hippos is called a &#8216;bloat&#8217;. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1811\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippopotamus-in-lake-in-Kenya-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippos\" class=\"wp-image-153272\"\/>Hippos typically have around 36 teeth. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1695\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippos-fighting-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippos fighting\" class=\"wp-image-153274\"\/>Long canine teeth, which can measure 50 cm in length, are used to fight off opponents. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1700\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippopotamus-in-Katavi-National-Park-Tanzania-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippos in Katavi National Park, Tanzania\" class=\"wp-image-153273\"\/>A bloat of hippos in Katavi National Park, Tanzania. Credit: Getty<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Hippos-with-flamingos-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Hippos with flamingos\" class=\"wp-image-153277\"\/>A hippo wanders past a flock of  flamingos on the shores of Lake Nakuru in Kenya. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>Top image: Hippos flighting on the Luangwa River in Zambia. Credit: Getty. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n<p>Amazing facts, videos and stories about hippos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With a rotund body, short legs and gigantic head, hippopotamuses, or hippos, are among the most striking-looking animals&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":{"0":"post-290198","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-new-zealand","9":"tag-newzealand","10":"tag-nz","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}