PapuuAdventures

national park
national park (kogatende/north Serengeti and Togoro/central serengeti)
conservation area/ndutu
mara

call +255655095479

serengeti - tarangire - maasai mara

HIPPOPOTAMUS'S HABITS

Hippo spend the day resting in or near water and will leave the water to sunbathe, their sweat contains a red pigment that will act as a sun screen. They can swim on the surface or run in slow motion along the bottom and can remain submerged for up to 6 minutes. Both ears and nostrils have valves that keep water out. At dusk they move to the bank where it will feed for 7-8 hours and will travel up to 30 km to feed. Hippos live in pods of up to 30 individuals with a single dominant bull which will defend the pod's territory which includes only the water. If frightened on land hippo rush back to the safety of the water and anything in the way will be trampled. A bull may hold a territory for as long as 12 years. Neighbouring bulls meeting on their boundary stare fixedly at each other, turn, and spray dung and urine - much like politician.
Savage fights over territory and females are savage may leave serious wounds and may be fatal. For some reason hippos wounds rarely become infected, even in very dirty water. The vanquished bulls are driven out of the territory while young males are chased out of the pod by the dominant bull at about six years old. Dominant bulls sometimes try to kill the young to force the female into oesterus and mothers will defend their offspring. The dominance act of yawning displays the large mouth and tusks and is a warning to keep away