"Kiboko" the Dangerous Hippos of African
 |
The
hippo’s yawn isn't a sign of sleepiness , laziness,
hunger or boredom but is actually a threat
gesture,
displaying long, thick, razor-sharp canine teeth |
What are these beautiful
giant animals in many of the lakes and rivers called? Where do these
hippopotamus live? Many times people wonder why such a big animals like the
Hippopotamus to be as lazy as any other animal in the great lakes and rivers
of Africa. Is being lazy part of the survival tactics for the hippo? As far as the animal facts about hippopotamus are concerned, the hippopotamuses
or the "river horse” are the third-largest living land animals. Why the hippopotamus was called a river horse by
the Greeks? Was it a hippopotamus fact that there were as many hippopotamus in
Greece as compared to any part of the world or the hippopotamus population and
range had reached far beyond the ancient Greek reign and hence the given name
the “River Horse”? As far as the local or native name for the African hippo is
concerned, “Kiboko” is the Swahili name for the hippopotamus where these
beautiful animals call home.
 |
hippopotamus
can eat 100 to
150 pounds of grass in a night |
With the current hippopotamus population
decreasing day in and day out in may of the hippopotamus feeding and breeding
grounds, the status of the African hippopotamus is declared as endangered.
The hippopotamus is so big such that it’s the African
biggest herbivorous after the African elephants and the white rhinos which make
up part of the Africa’s Big Five animals.
 |
An
adult hippopotamus can stay
submerged for 5 to 6 minutes |
The hippopotamus being a herbivore
mammal, this great animal of Africa has not only the longest teeth in the world
but the only animal in the world which cannot jump. Its amazing to note that many people don’t have
a chance to see these beautiful dangerous African safari hippopotamus as part
of their natural habitat and may of the beautiful African animals which live in
the African Savannah grasslands are always far out in the wilderness and in the
African scotching sun while these are always the beautiful hours for the
African hippopotamus to dive deep in the cool waters of the Nile infested
rivers to cool itself off while at the same time protecting the hippopotamus
territory away from dangerous male hippopotamus and any other animal which
might come between the hippo and its baby.
 |
A
baby hippo can eat grass in 3
weeks, but nurses for a year |
 |
Hippos
typically live for around
45 years while in their habitat |
Don’t be surprised when you go for
any African animal safari and you don’t have the chance or a glimpse to see or
take any photo of the African Hippopotamus unless your animal safari is geared
up to their natural habitat and you will have the chance to see the hippo live
in action.
 |
Male
hippos will attack young
hippos in the water, but not
on land |
 |
A
group of hippos in known as
a ‘herd’, ‘pod’, ‘dale’ or ‘bloat |
How many hippopotamus are there in the wild
and in captivity? Hats the biggest question someone would ask about
hippopotamus. With many of the African navigable rivers not being accesses due
to these beautiful animals controlling their water boundaries very little stats
about hippopotamus are not forthcoming as far as the information on the
different hippopotamus website is concerned hence the hippopotamus tends to
have an average life span in the wild of up to 40 years and weighing about
4000kgs.
Just like any other endangered or near endangered animals of African
and the African Savannah as a whole, these beautiful dangerous hippopotamus
population is decreasing as the number of hippopotamus attacks also keep on
decreasing as many of the hippopotamus in Africa are located in the farming
regions and many of the African lakes and rivers where the local people come to
some of the great lakes and rivers to collect water for drinking and washing,
irrigate their land and while swimming.
While many of the people using the
rivers and lakes of many if the Nile Rivers infested hippopotamus become victim
of circumstances while traveling in these treacherous infested hippopotamus and
crocodile waters
Hippopotamus natural
habitat
There are no animals that
are as much territorial both on land and in the water other than the
hippopotamus. The Nile crocodiles are known to be territorial while keeping the
young crocodiles at bay. On the other hand it’s amazing to know that
hippopotamus are animal which will fight to kill whether animal or beast which
comes in its way whether during the hippopotamus breeding season or when
someone is standing between the mother hippo and the baby hippopotamus.
 |
The
hippo’s skin exudes a red, oily liquid that keeps
the skin moist a
myth that the hippo sweats blood |
Most of the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), or
hippo, Kiboko from the ancient Greek for "river horse" are mostly
found in sub-Saharan Africa in courtiers such as, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi,
South Africa, Gabon, , Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, , Rwanda while the Pygmy
Hippopotamus is mostly found in the west coast of Africa mostly Côte d'Ivoire,
Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau. Liberia, Nigeria,
Niger, Réunion, where most of the animal or hippo attacks take place. With the hippopotamus
being a unique animal, the range of these animals has been extended to may of
the world’s zoos which now have hippopotamus which have been bred and reared in
captivity. The amazing this is that all hippopotamus will graze in the same are
and look for food miles away and way back to their resting ground.
It’s not that hippopotamus
like to be in the African geographical range but it’s the vegetation and the
ecosystem of the hippopotamus. How have hippopotamus survived in the African
continent and in the wild despite all incidences of hippopotamus hunting and
killing for their meat to feed the hungry locals who live within the hippo’s
natural habitat? These great animals of Land
Rivers and lakes have always been able to find their way out and to co exist
with the other natural inhabitants of the African Savannah.
 |
Nearly
all of the famous African explorers &
hunters had
boating mishaps with hippopotamus
& considered it to
be a wantonly malicious beast |
With plenty of fertile
soils and food for the plants, the natural vegetation found in the African lakes
and on river beds in Africa where these beautiful dangerous water and land hippopotamus
are found and bred can be a killing zone as these majestic dangerous hippos
with their aggressiveness can come out when people or other dangerous animals veer
into the hippo’s territory. With many people surprising the hippopotamus while
it is out foraging for food when the sun has gone down, many people encounter
these aggressive beautiful hippopotamus and find themselves victims in places
where the Hippos are foraging during their nocturnal rounds in any given
locality.
Dangerous Hippopotamus;
The kings of the African Rivers
 |
Hippos
can be very aggressive,
especially if they feel
threatened |
“Kiboko” or the four
webbed toes dangerous hippopotamus loves the water such that the hippopotamus
with all the hippo’s family and pride will spend up to 16 hours a day submerged
in rivers and lakes under the company of other dangerous animals such as the
African Nile crocodiles which share the same natural habitat and most of the geographical
location in Africa. If the hippos are not in the water, they are always not
very far from many of the river banks as they graze from the sprouting fresh
green grass which is constantly fertilized by the hippopotamus dung when they
come ashore.
 |
1 baby hippo is born underwater
at a time, after a
gestation of
around 230 days mostly during
the months of heavy rainfall |
This is one of the greatest moments when serious hippopotamus
battles are fought while on land and sometimes end up in the rivers of lakes
and the powerful hippopotamus emerges to take the female hippopotamus as his
family for the next generation.
Hippopotamus as very dangerous animals are very good swimmers. A lot of the hippo dangerous attacks take
place in the rivers and lakes when people are not suspecting the presence of
hippos in the water while travelling in small boats or just in the water or in
some of the bushes on their way home.
Being very good swimmers,
hippos can hold their breath underwater for about 5 minutes. These beautiful
dangerous animals attack or capsize many boats and canoes when they stand or
walk on the floor of many lakes or rivers. While it is not always to spot a
hippopotamus when it is underwater some of these animal attack incidences are
just inevitable bit communication and information about hippopotamus location
and breeding habitat can help alleviate dangerous attacks being caused by these
beautiful African safari animals.
 |
A
common hippo’s hide alone
can weigh half a ton |
With death role of around
200, they have been known to kill other animals and many people mostly farmers
and nomads on dry land who move from one place to another in search of greener
pastures and water thereby falling pray to this huge dangerous wild animal
which is one of the biggest land animals. The hippopotamus being one of the
most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as top ten world’s
most dangerous in the world and one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.
There are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 hippos throughout Sub-Saharan Africa;
Zambia (40,000) and Tanzania (20,000–30,000) possess the largest populations. With constant civil and political unrest in
many of the African countries which have the highest population of hippopotamus
the Big Five and some of the Big Cats, the hippopotamus are still threatened by
habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory canine teeth
Hippos the great animal
attack runners
 |
| A
hippo’s tail is up to 22 inches long |
The African hippopotamus while
on its daily rounds foraging for food at night, these beautiful dangerous
hippopotamus with their sheer size and weight travel 6 miles (10 kilometers) in
a night, along single-file pathways and fill their stomachs by consuming some
80 pounds (35 kilograms) of grass. While
some animals are grazers and some are
browsers always be on the look out for
these animals as running for your life is the only option or scaling
up a tree might just do the trick otherwise you will end up being attacked by
the hippopotamus despite the fact that hippos can match a human's speed for
short distances
As a hippo rule of thumb
one should always know that when a hippopotamus is threatened on land these beautiful
dangerous animals will always run for the water and take cover. While you are out
there taking good animal photographs make sure you are always on the look out
for any unsuspecting animals otherwise you might be surprised to see a hippo
being on the lookout for you. These hippopotamus natural born killer animals
though they are herbivorous, have been known to attack and even eat them with
reasons best known to them as for them a human being is just like another
intruder in their natural habitat
 |
The
hippopotamus teeth are
ivory are
valued more
than an elephant’s ivory |
As far as survival for the
fittest and the hippopotamus is concerned and tor the future of the African hippopotamus species is concerned,
the male hippopotamus always pose a threat to the baby hippo or new born baby
hippopotamus. The female hippopotamus with its giant size mouth and teeth will
always attack the male hippos that wander or swim too close to the baby hippo.
The clash of the hippos will only end if the male hippo surrenders by lying
down and acts submissively to show that he means no harm to the dominant African
hippo family.
 |
Hippo’s
ears and nostrils are located at the
top of the head and close automatically
when the hippo is under water |
As far as zoo animals and
hippopotamus are concerned in Colombia: The African hippos of Pablo Escobar In
1983 at the height of his fame, This
loving animal person had flown more than
2,000 animals: elephants from India, buffalo imported from U.S., Australian
kangaroos, flamingos, antelope, deer, rhino, giraffe and nine hippo imported
from African countries. Whether keeping animals in captivity is the best for
animals or just elongates the animals with a few years does not really give the
chance for the animals to live their full happy years.
In 2006, the hippopotamus
nicknamed "Pepe" believing Africa was tired of being confined to the
hacienda. It wanted to explore new territories. It reached the shores of
Cocorna, a tributary of the Magdalena River. In its march towards freedom, it
made major damage along the way. It damaged fences, dévira plants and
seedlings, even killed the calves, creating panic among Colombian peasants.
These are just some of the living hippo ensamples whether these hippopotamus
are in their natural habitat in African or just in other parts of the world.
 |
Hippopotamus and crocodiles live in the same rivers but
a hippopotamus will always chase or attack any crocs |
Are the hippopotamus going
to be extinct, is a lot of effort to conserve the hippopotamus being made? Are the
locals being involved in the protection and conservation of the hippopotamus
population? A lot is still at stake as the plight of the hippopotamus is still
yet to be of great importance just like any endangered panda, elephant or
Siberian tiger. While these beautiful hippopotamus once thrived and were greatly feared when they roamed the
whole of sub-Saharan Africa, there is still a lot to be done in terms of what
the hippopotamus is in terms of both the usefulness of a hippopotamus and the
negative aspects of a hippopotamus. While the economic importance of a hippopotamus
brings in local tourism and trade in may of the hippopotamus body parts, the
constant clash between the farmer’s crops and the hippopotamus is seen as one
of the stumbling block of this animal which lives within proximity of human habitat.
 |
| A
baby hippo is called a ‘calf’ |
 |
A
male hippopotamus is called
a ‘bull’ |
With the decline of plenty of fresh water for the African hippopotamus for
wallowing, cooling off and plenty of lash grass for grazing not many
hippopotamus are remaining in many parts of Africa as they used to be decades
ago. With little data or hippopotamus information in many countries where hippopotamus
are found coming forth, many of the hippopotamus attacks are also not recorded.
Unless the endless hunting and parching of
these African hippopotamus ends as a result of the hippopotamus eating the cash
crops and subsistence crops of the farmers’
or villagers as the only farmers source of income for his subsistence crops.
While many people find a cheep source of protein from the hippopotamus, the hippo’s
meat and teeth its natural and breeding habitat has dwindled only to remain in
protected and sometimes unprotected areas which makes the hippo to be very
vulnerable.
 |
Resting
in water helps keep
hippo's temperature down |
 |
A
female hippopotamus is
called a ‘cow’ |
With proper animal
communication information and education from documentaries beautiful animal photographs
and great inspirational animal movies and research, the plight of the African
hippopotamus can stand secure and many animal and dangerous hippo attacks can
be reduces and as a spill over effect while saving Nile hippopotamus habitat,
we protect these dangerous hippopotamus and many other animals of Africa which
share the same habitat as we are part of them.
Those who read about African Hippopotamus also liked
Just like any other endangered or near endangered animals of African
and the African Savannah as a whole, these beautiful dangerous hippopotamus
population is decreasing as the number of hippopotamus attacks also keep on
decreasing as many of the hippopotamus in Africa are located in the farming
regions and many of the African lakes and rivers where the local people come to
some of the great lakes and rivers to collect water for drinking and washing,
irrigate their land and while swimming. 
While many of the people using the
rivers and lakes of many if the Nile Rivers infested hippopotamus become victim
of circumstances while traveling in these treacherous infested hippopotamus and
crocodile waters
There are no animals that
are as much territorial both on land and in the water other than the
hippopotamus. The Nile crocodiles are known to be territorial while keeping the
young crocodiles at bay. On the other hand it’s amazing to know that
hippopotamus are animal which will fight to kill whether animal or beast which
comes in its way whether during the hippopotamus breeding season or when
someone is standing between the mother hippo and the baby hippopotamus.
“Kiboko” or the four
webbed toes dangerous hippopotamus loves the water such that the hippopotamus
with all the hippo’s family and pride will spend up to 16 hours a day submerged
in rivers and lakes under the company of other dangerous animals such as the
African Nile crocodiles which share the same natural habitat and most of the geographical
location in Africa. If the hippos are not in the water, they are always not
very far from many of the river banks as they graze from the sprouting fresh
green grass which is constantly fertilized by the hippopotamus dung when they
come ashore. 
This is one of the greatest moments when serious hippopotamus
battles are fought while on land and sometimes end up in the rivers of lakes
and the powerful hippopotamus emerges to take the female hippopotamus as his
family for the next generation.
Hippopotamus as very dangerous animals are very good swimmers. A lot of the hippo dangerous attacks take
place in the rivers and lakes when people are not suspecting the presence of
hippos in the water while travelling in small boats or just in the water or in
some of the bushes on their way home.
Being very good swimmers,
hippos can hold their breath underwater for about 5 minutes. These beautiful
dangerous animals attack or capsize many boats and canoes when they stand or
walk on the floor of many lakes or rivers. While it is not always to spot a
hippopotamus when it is underwater some of these animal attack incidences are
just inevitable bit communication and information about hippopotamus location
and breeding habitat can help alleviate dangerous attacks being caused by these
beautiful African safari animals.
In 2006, the hippopotamus
nicknamed "Pepe" believing Africa was tired of being confined to the
hacienda. It wanted to explore new territories. It reached the shores of
Cocorna, a tributary of the Magdalena River. In its march towards freedom, it
made major damage along the way. It damaged fences, dévira plants and
seedlings, even killed the calves, creating panic among Colombian peasants.
These are just some of the living hippo ensamples whether these hippopotamus
are in their natural habitat in African or just in other parts of the world.
