Africa. Hippos kill more humans than any other animal in Africa. So why am I in a small metal boat looking down the jaws of this hippo in a river in Botswana? Well, at the time, I had no idea they were so dangerous. And this yawn is one of their most aggressive postures. Meaning get the hell out of here.
As the 3rd largest land mammal (behind elephants and rhinoceros) they spend most of their day submerged in African rivers and graze at night on the grasses surrounding the river. They can easily outrun a human and think nothing about biting a crocodile (or person, for that matter) in half. Yikes!
And Hippos ooze this really cool liquid that acts as a sunscreen, insect repellent and antibiotic (for healing all the bite wounds they get when fighting each other). Sounds like we need to bottle the stuff for people (and there is actually research on the liquid being done today so stay tuned on the medical front.
Hippos are so dangerous, the late Steve Irwin, known as the Crocodile Hunter, considered a 5 minute river crossing full of hippos the most dangerous segment ever filmed on his show. Pretty amazing considering he met a lot of wild animals. And although our boat ride turned out ok, numerous folks have been killed in boats by hippos. So maybe a little more research next time. But then I wouldn’t have gotten this great photo……