A Pair Of Bull Hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius) Fighting For Territory In The Bushman River
The common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa. The name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse". After the elephant and rhinoceros, the common hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl. Hippos can be found in both savannah and forest areas. Proper habitat requires enough water to submerge in and grass nearby. Hippopotamuses are aggressive animals. Hippos that attack other animals are often either territorial bulls, as in my photo here, or females protecting their calves. Hippos are also very aggressive towards humans, whom they sometimes attack whether in boats or on land, commonly with no apparent provocation, and are widely considered to be one of the most dangerous large animals in Africa. When fighting, male hippos use their incisors to block each other's attacks and their large canines to inflict injuries.
Size: 3611px × 2708px
Location: Bushman River, Kariega, South Africa
Photo credit: © John Porter LRPS / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, african, aggressive, amphibius, bull, bushman, fearsome, fight, fighting, forest, heavy, hippo, hippopotami, hippopotamus, horse, kariega, large, lumbering, male, pair, river, savanna, south, southern, territorial, water
