The Hippopotamus
While on safari in Kruger National Park in South Africa we basically stumbled upon these Hippopotamuses. This is an adult Hippo and a young calf. After admiring a Leopard a short distance away we stopped at this waterhole for our morning tea and coffee. We didn't even notice them for several minutes because they knew we were coming before we saw them and they hid underneath the water as we pulled up. Eventually we saw them surface as you can see below.
They can stay submerged for 5 to 7 minutes at a time and they did while we were there. Every few minutes we would see them poke just the tops of the heads out of the water, take a good look at us then sink back under. Our guide explained that the are safe while in the water - they view it as a refuge and that is why they seemed so shy. We admired their peek-a-boo game while enjoying our morning break.
Here's some Hippo facts. Hippopotamus originates from the Greek words river horse. It is the third largest land mammal behind the Elephant and Rhinoceros and can weight up to 3 tons. Most of the day is spent in the water staying cool and moist while at night they will traverse the land to graze on grass. Hippos can out run humans on land - they have been clocked at 19 MPH. They are considered one of the most aggressive animals in the world and also the most dangerous in Africa.
We got lucky for a few seconds as the Hippos decided to move a little further away from us into another pool at the waterhole. There was a shallow section in the water that the Hippos had to navigate over and my camera was ready when they did.
In the above image, you'll notice the spray all around where it is walking. The Hippo is urinating and it waves its tail back and forth rapidly to scatter the urine around to mark its territory. They are territorial and quite aggressive while in water.
Also in the above image if you look closely enough just to the left of the bush at the waters edge you will see the top of a Crocodile with its mouth open. Our guide pointed out that they sit with their mouth open to feed on insects that land in their mouth.
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