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Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

Photo by mattsilvia7
Published on Project Noah
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-3.03632, 38.3787

Field Notes

Description:

Hippos can hold their breaths for minutes at a time, and this pair frequently disappeared below the surface as they engaged in a shoving match that went on longer than we cared to watch.

Crocodiles and hippos keep an uneasy peace in the spring waters at Mzima. The crocodiles will eat a baby hippo if given the chance, but they are a poor match for an angry adult. Young female hippos stay close to their mother from protection from the crocodiles.

Young males will be killed by the father if they get to close, so there was another female tending to one of them near the shore, far enough from the girls to keep his father disinterested.

Habitat:

Mzima spring supplies fresh water to the coast, via a pipeline system. Close to it's source, it provides a home for hippos, crocodile, two kinds of fish, and an assortment of wildlife that lives in the lush foliage the spring provides.

Species ID Suggestions

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Photographed
PublishedApril 13, 2011

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