In the animal kingdom, teeth come in all shapes and sizes. Some are anchored in the jaw for chewing or seizing prey, while others – known as fangs – are elongated teeth (often hollow or grooved), specially adapted for piercing flesh and injecting venom. A walrus‘s tusks, for example, are enormous canine teeth that can […]
Tag: hippopotamus
“Mothers are known to eat their own newborn babies…” 11 gruesome, grisly cannibal animals that feast on their own kind – you won’t believe number 3
Cannibalism – the act of eating an individual of the same species – is often not a good idea, and not just because of our own human morals. It can lead to the spread of some very nasty diseases, as well as the evolutionary cost of potentially eating your own kin. However, it is not […]
“My stomach lurched as the hippo drifted in our direction, only her pink, sweaty face visible – like a shark’s fin.”
It was a misty morning, soon to be scorching, like every day in Niger, when we arrived at the riverbank. I was 17, living in the capital, Niamey, while my mother worked as a diplomat at the US embassy. It was the Christmas holidays and my mother, keen for my sister and I to experience […]
Astonishing power and resilience of hippos revealed in 16 incredible photos
Dramatic images of hippopotamuses – from the muddy banks of the Luangwa River in Zambia to Botswana’s vast Okavango Delta. With a rotund body, short legs and gigantic head, hippopotamuses, or hippos, are among the most striking-looking animals in Africa. These characterful semi-aquatic herbivores really are huge, with some individuals weighing as much as 3,200 […]
Panya the pygmy hippo: how a tiny baby animal became a sensation
Name: Panya the pygmy hippo. Age: About three weeks. Appearance: Adorable, to a world-conquering degree. God, I’ve never wanted to hear about a three-week-old pygmy hippo more. Right? Everything is so bleak at the moment, only the sight of a tiny baby animal can save us now. How tiny are we talking? Oh, unbelievably tiny. […]
Why are conservationists alarmed about Botswana’s biggest elephant hunt?
Conservationists have raised the alarm about the Botswana government’s decision to increase its annual trophy-hunting quota for elephants, reigniting a debate over how the country should manage the world’s largest elephant population. Botswana, a largely dry nation which is home to 2.3 million people, has more than 130,000 elephants, nearly one-third of all elephants in […]
Watch dramatic BBC footage shows desperate, ravenous leopard mother risking death for her cubs, high in the treetops
In Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta, leopards love to feast on large ungulates, such as antelope and zebra. The Delta is usually home to a rich array of flora and fauna, attracting huge populations of elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, buffalo and antelope from across the region. The abundance of prey makes it a prime location for Africa’s […]
Watch dramatic BBC footage shows desperate, ravenous leopard mother risking death for her cubs, high up in the treetops
In Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta, leopards love to feast on large ungulates, such as antelope and zebra. The Delta is usually home to a rich array of flora and fauna, attracting huge populations of elephants, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, buffalo and antelope from across the region. The abundance of prey makes it a prime location for Africa’s […]