Hippopotamus weighs around 8,000 pounds making it the second largest land animal after the elephant. Because of its physique, people believe that it is a sluggish and slow animal. On the contrary, it is quite ferocious that can kill anyone in sight almost instantaneously. In fact, records indicate that hippopotamuses kill more people than any other animal. Interestingly, there are incidents from field researchers’ reports of hippos attacking boats mistaking them for crocodiles. Therefore, these fearsome-looking quadrupeds have long had a reputation for being very aggressive animals. The longevity of hippos is around 61 years on an average in captivity.
Animals
Hippos adapt very well in the water, be it rivers or lakes or any swampy or marshy areas. The nostrils, mouth ears, eyes and other facial features of a hippopotamus are located very high on its tilted head and are kept shut to keep out water. Its location on top of the head also enables it to keep watch for predators. Hence, they can breathe, see and even eat comfortably while mostly submerged in the water. They are such large animals with robust builds that they can lie in the shallows or merely stand or walk on the lake floor.
Hippopotamus weighs around 8,000 pounds making it the second largest land animal after the elephant. Biologists compare its weight to that of the Indian rhinoceros and the white rhinoceros. Because of its physique, people falsely believe that the hippopotamus is a sluggish and slow animal. On the contrary, it is quite ferocious that can kill anyone in sight almost instantaneously. In fact, records indicate that hippopotamuses kill more people than any other animal. Interestingly, there are incidents from field researchers’ reports of hippos attacking boats mistaking them for crocodiles. However, four fascinating things about these fearsome-looking quadrupeds are less known.
Typically, all carnivores in the world are ferocious predators. They chase and kill other animals in the forest for their food. For this, they use their power and force to their advantage. Kenya is full of such predators that live in the wild savannah and plains of the country. The 6 wild carnivores of Kenya are the leopard, wild dog, hyena, serval cat, genet and jackal. An encounter with any one of these vicious and violent animals can be deadly even to human beings. Hence, having any one of them as a house pet is probably not a good idea.
Travel to Kenya to get to know the wild animals
Kenya tourism is a substantial contributor to the economy accounting for 12% of total employment and 27% of foreign exchange. It has attracted massive government and foreign investments with major effects on other sectors. There were 2.035 million arrivals in 2019 from all over the world and was projected to grow by 10%. But COVIS-19 with its impact on travel has brought the industry to a halt. Whilst tourism has proven to be resilient to terrorism, recession, violence, pandemics, and natural disasters, none of these events has had such an impact on the economy, especially the tourism industry, as COVID-19.