Hip Hippo

[Ann]

"Up close and personal" in Botswana:

[PeterN]

Wow. That is close! It must be spectacular to see hippos in the wild.

[atpaula]

Peter Potamus does not look very friendly.
The third one is special.

[Thomas Stellwag]

super, I agree the third one is stellar, but as well the forelast "Ralley version" , I like much
Ann, how far have you been away?

[armando_m]

Impressive images of  such a powerful animal

[Ann]

As Aguinaldo noted, these guys are not friendly — in fact they are the most murderous of all of Africa's creatures.

I took these with a 200-400mm lens from a small boat with a powerful out-board motor operated by an exceedingly skillful and watchful boatman.

He got me in as closely to the animals as he dared but these unwieldy-looking creatures can suddenly charge at 30 mph on land (and about 8 knots in water) and those massive 8-inch incisors can rapidly make pretty good mincemeat of one.

Eight of us had rented a houseboat on the Chobe River for a week on which we could sleep and eat between spending our waking hours taking photographs from the little boats which we towed behind the houseboat.

The delightful girl who cooked for us during this trip was looking at my photos late one night after she had finished cleaning up in her galley. Everyone else had turned in for the night but I was editing photos in the saloon and she asked to have a look because although photographers are on board all the time she had apparently never seen any of their pictures.

When we came to the Hippo shots, she mentioned how much she feared Hippos and told me that her grandfather had been killed by one. He had apparently been fishing from the river bank when a hippo emerged from the river and charged at him. He ran but tripped and that was fatal.
 

[Frank Fremerey]

Much more dangrous than sharks but look much friendlier!

Superb series. The one with the birds on top is my personal favourite!

[Ann]

Frank:
I have chased Great Whites too but Hippos look positively cuddly compared to those Sharks!

[pluton]

As a set, these photos tower above all the hippo shots I've ever seen, including assorted wildlife/art photo books and the overrated National Geographic magazine.  I agree with Frank about the one with the birds on top .  An instant classic!

[Frank Fremerey]

Frank:
I have chased Great Whites too but Hippos look positively cuddly compared to those Sharks!

I guess images can be misleading. Hippos are the wild animals killing the most humans per year...

Ahm. not

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-36320744

but deadlier than sharks, not as deadly as mosquitos though and crocodiles

[Frank Fremerey]

lovely image if three Hippos running into the water

[CS]

Superb series, Ann! Number 3 looks like he could be  a malevolent Star Wars character.

[Randy Stout]

Great set Ann.  Number 3 is my favorite as well, and you can easily see the connection that hippos have to whales in it.

I appreciate your bravery, but having spent a lot of time in small boats, I certainly would be careful, as outboards can fail at the most inopportune moments, no matter how skilled the pilot.

Randy

[Ann]

Thank you everyone for your extremely kind comments

I also see the Whale-connection (which Randy mentioned) in the way that Hippos can open their mouths so widely as well as in their sheer bulk. When you see a Hippo charging along the river at full speed and making a wake like a powerful motorboat, it is certainly awe-inspiring. These animals can both swim and also run along the river-bed fully submerged.

Many of the villagers who live along the river still use traditional dug-out canoes and those frequently get attacked and overturned by the Hippos with inevitable fatalities.

The Nile Crocodiles, which inhabit the Chobe and the Zambezi in huge numbers and grow to enormous size there, are another hazard for those who live besides these rivers although Hippos have been known to kill Crocodiles too.

[Mikes]

Great captures, Ann. You were lucky to get to see them on dry land. We saw many whilst in Kenya and Tanzania last year, but they were usually submerged except for their eyes and nostrils. The ponds in which they lived were foul, and the stench often overwhelming if you happened to be downwind.

Not to be messed with - two tourists were trampled to death near their lodge while we were there - a penalty they paid for ignoring the advice of the locals and getting up close to photograph them.