In Botswana’s Okavango delta, deep floodwater can dry to dust in months. Thirsty animals seek out water holes for a much-needed drink – but this brings them into dangerous proximity with others. And in one episode of the BBC TV series Natural World, the film crew follow a group of hippos as they deal with the […]
Tag: Hippos
9 animals that could take on (and probably kill) a saltwater crocodile: Just which creatures are able to take on one of the world’s deadliest animals?
The saltwater crocodile, also known as the estuarine crocodile or saltie, is the largest of all living reptiles. Males can exceed 6m in length and a tonne in weight and are widely touted as producing the strongest bite-force of any animal. Like other crocodilians, they dismantle their prey using a manoeuvre called the ‘death roll’, which […]
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. […]
Head-butting, drowning and dive-bombing – discover 10 most aggressive, badass animals on the planet that aren’t afraid to put up a fight
They say that nice guys finish last, a sentiment with which this motely crew of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians and insects would surely agree. As some of the most aggressive species on the planet, they’ve figured out that offence is often the best defence, whether you’re a bull shark headbutting its prey, a honey […]
Why do-gooding animal rights activists are to blame for the bloody slaughter of 600 majestic African elephants
A three-ton bull elephant lies dead on the ground in a remote corner of Africa. His life has been snuffed out by a marksman’s bullet fired into his brain. In a few seconds it was all over. He will have known nothing. Within minutes of his death ten days ago, a wildlife vet was running […]
Rhino poaching – A national shame threatening South Africa’s soul, economy and global standing
Rhino poaching is not just a conservation crisis, it is a national emergency that strikes at the heart of South Africa’s identity, economy, and global reputation. Every rhino slaughtered is not only a brutal reminder of the greed driving illicit wildlife trafficking, but a symbol of how close we are to losing one of the […]
Even hippos, elephants and monkeys are fleeing bloody gang violence in Mexico’s Sinaloa province
Organized crime and violence in the Mexican state of Sinaloa has forced a local sanctuary to close and transfer at least 700 animals – including elephants, tigers, lions, ostriches, chickens, monkeys, crocodiles, and hippos – to a new location 212 kilometers (approximately 131 miles) away. The animals were relocated from the Ostok Sanctuary in Culiacan, […]