Photos of Hippopotamus by Yvonne van der Mey

The hippo is the third largest land animal, and can weigh up to 3200 kg. Huge animals, with very funny short, little legs. Hippos often have a pinkish colouring, which occurs when they are in the sun. It is a protective skin fluid that works a bit like a suntan oil.

In all of Africa, Hippos kill more people than Lions do. They spend most of their lives in the water, but as the evening falls, they head out to graze on land, and in the early morning they return to the water. If a human happens to get caught between a hippo and the water, the hippo will easily kill him. With jaws that can open up to 1,5 meter and long razor-sharp teeth (the upper canines can get as long as 60 cm), they can easily chomp an adult human into bits and pieces. They love to use the same paths to get in and out of the water; the so-called hippo highways.

Eventhough lions don't normally hunt hippos, some lion prides have specialized in working together to take down big prey, and then the odds are stacked against a lone hippo. Albeit a funny creature, it is always a good thing to treat hippos with a whole lot of respect. It might appear that there are plenty of hippos around, but they too are on the CITES list of endangered species, because humans have shot so many of them.

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