Random Things that Prove Hippos Are Extremely Dangerous Animals (11 items)

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  (#1) Hippos Are One Of The Most Dangerous Land Animals In The World 

  Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in all of Africa. They are estimated to slay around 3,000 people each year. One such casualty of a hippo aggression was a grandmother from Michigan. She was on an African safari when she was mauled by a hippo.

  One of the worst cases of hippos ambushing humans was in 2014, when 12 children and an adult perished when a hippopotamus overturned a boat near Niger's capital, Niamey. 
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  (#2) Hippo Are Horrifically Vicious

  Hippos don't just ambush  - they absolutely destroy. 

  In 2013, Paul Templer, a tour guide of Africa, nearly succumbed to an aggressive hippo. "The bull simply went berserk, throwing me into the air and catching me again, shaking me like a dog with a doll," he told The Guardian. Templer had over 40 puncture marks and bite marks all over his body after the incident. Thankfully, he made it out alive. But there have been plenty of others who haven't been as lucky. 
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  (#3) One Lone Hippo Can Fight Off An Entire Pride Of Lions

  Don't ever underestimate the strength of a hippo - they're the tank of the animal kingdom. Even lions know that they can't take down a hippo one-on-one. In fact, a single hippo can have the power to fend off an entire pride of lions. The Daily Mail reports that in 2014, a giant hippo took on a pride of lions when they tried to make him a meal.

  The four lionesses chased the hippo into a ditch, but he didn't succumb to their vicious bites. Instead, the big guy showed his teeth and shook off the lions like they were nothing. He frightened them so much that they ended up running away. But instead of letting them go, the hippo started to chase them. That little extra step just proves that hippos are heinously vicious. 
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  (#4) Hippos Are Sometimes Cannibals

  When you think about animals that are so vicious they would eat their own, hippos don't usually come to mind. But rest assured, hippos can be just as cold.

  In 1999, the first ever hippo cannibalism was witnessed in the Shire River of Malawi. A group of vicious crocodiles were dining on a hippo when scientists spotted another hippo among the hunters. There's something unsettling about seeing a species feast on their own kind. 
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  (#5) If You Hear A Hippo Laughing, You Should Probably Run

  While the idea of a hippo laughing to himself seems joyous and innocent, is is actually quite sinister when you get down to the science of it.

  Hippos don't have a sense of humor. Their laugh is actually a display of aggression. If a hippo is laughing, they feel threatened, which means they may strike.
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  (#6) Hippos Can Weigh More Than A Car

  It's hard to tell the true size and strength of a hippopotamus if you're looking at it from a zoo enclosure. Typically, the average adult hippo weighs between 3,500 and 4,500 pounds. For reference, the average new car weighs around 4,000 pounds. Since hippos can charge at 20mph, an onslaught would be like getting hit by a car that has teeth. It has also been observed that a dominant male hippo of a pod is significantly heavier - they can weigh over 6,000 pounds. 
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  (#7) Hippos Aren't Herbivores And Can Go Hunting For Meat

  There is real evidence that hippos are actually hunters. Hippos eat a wealth of animal species that are typically considered food for lions and hyenas, such as wildebeest and buffalo. Basically, they may enjoy salad, but they're appetites can range to include animals fit for a lion.

  “I think the most common misconception about hippos is that people consider them to be pure herbivores,” PhD student Leejiah Dorward told the BBC. “There is a growing body of evidence that they not only eat meat, but will actively predate other animals."
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  (#8) Hippos Look Like They're Sweating Blood

  At one point in history, people believed hippos actually sweated out blood. While hippos don't actually sweat blood, it certainly looks like they do. Instead of sweat, hippos secrete a red fluid. This fluid actively protects their skin from the sun while working as a moisturizer and antibiotic. It's definitely helpful to poor hippos who may suffer from cracked, dry skin if they spend too much time out of the water, but it literally looks like blood sweat. 
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  (#9) When Hippos Yawn, They're Anything But Content

  Hippos are undoubtedly adorable-looking. What's more is that they look so cute when they repeatedly yawn. However, if you see a hippo yawning, that's a major indicator (like the laughing) that it's about to get aggressive.

  According to Johan Eksteen, a conservation ecologist who has studied hippos for 30 years in South Africa, people often mistakenly assume that a yawn from a hippo means they are relaxed, satiated, and content. In truth, they are aggitated and might strike. 
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  (#10) Hippos Are So Aggressive, Crocodiles Are Afraid Of Them

  Hippos are so aggressive that even the most vicious meat-eaters are terrified. Crocodiles have been known to eat hippos on occasion, but only if they're absolutely desperate. If food is dire, crocodiles may nab a baby hippo with extreme caution. Unfortunately for the hungry croc, hippo moms are so territorial, it is fairly lethal to move on a their young. Generally, crocs steer clear.
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  (#11) Even Their Waste Is Deadly

  When fish began turning up dead all over the Mara River region spanning Tanzania and Kenya, a couple of scientists were concerned and began investigating local farmers and waste removal methods. Eventually, after "...An increasingly bold set of experiments, involving remote-controlled boats, computer simulations, a makeshift dam, and vast tankers of excrement-filled water," they realized that hippos were the cause of the dead, finned creatures washing up all over the riverbanks.

  Their subsequent study, published in 2018, reported about 8,500 kg of hippo waste is deposited daily by approximately 4,000 Mara hippos. “Down at the bridge, you can put a net in the water for a few seconds, and the entire middle will just be coated with hippo feces,” said one of the scientists, according to a report in The Atlantic. “There’s hippo feces everywhere." 

  The hippo-polluted water and riverbed then rep becomes a stagnant mire containing almost zero oxygen — as bacteria consumes the little present — but containing and ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide. Fish are not able to inhabit the water and will suffocate, according to the study.

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