One of the camps I stayed at in the Okavango Delta had a couple of semi-resident hippos, one of whom they had named Jowls. What better name for a hippo, graced as they are with a lugubrious looking face, large, wide mouth and stubby snout.
The jaw is hinged so that it can open to around 180°.
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I am rather fond of hippos, but their cute looks, stumpy legs and pendulous belly all belie their great speed and massive aggression.
Hippos have been clocked running at 30 km/h over short distances on the ground, and move at around 8 km/h under water, running along the bottom of the river. At one point, when out observing hippos in the Okavango Delta, it was clear that a large pod were working together to surround us, moving silently and out of sight under the water.
Hippos are naturally extremely aggressive, and males fight to the death. They are aggressive to humans, apparently without provocation, and are responsible for more deaths than any other animal in Africa.
Nonetheless, they are great to watch. I was lucky enough to come across a pod basking in the evening sun on the banks of the Zambezi. Our little boat disturbed them and some of them headed straight for the water.
The youngster was very keen to follow suit, but just wasn’t quite sure how to do it
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Finally, he opted for reverse gear:
Linked to Frizztext’s Tagged J Challenge, Weekly Top Shot, ABC Wednesday and Alphabe Thursday.
Travel with Intent 
What an incredible journey you got to experience… I’m just a little bit jealous. (((winkwink)))
I wouldn’t want to jump in the way of a hippo but they are fascinating creatures!
Thanks for linking to the letter “J”.
A+
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It never ceases to amaze me that they can move so quickly!
=)
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Exactly, they look so slow and lumbering!
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Great photos! I was taking photos of a black bear in the Great Smoky Mountains many years ago, without a telephoto lens, and didn’t realize just how close I was getting. Rod jerked me back before the bear came over the rock wall, but in my photos, I could see the saliva on his teeth! Yikes!!
You are so lucky to live where you do.
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Yes, it’s a bit too easy to forget the dangers, especially when you are behind a camera!
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Huge jowls indeed, but great animals! Reminds me of a game I had as a kid, Hungry, Hungry Hippos!
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Oh yes, I remember that too 🙂
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Great captures!
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great post! hippos are intriguing…
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Happy hippos.
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Hope you used a telephoto lens, hippos can be nasty
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Amazing animal! I once saw a program about hippoes where a hippo attacked a croc,which had caught a small mammal. The croc was so frightened that he let his prey go.
Thank you for this post.
Wil, ABCW Team
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Hippos really are intriguing animals, we always look them up whenever at the zoo. I would love however to see them in the wild, you are very fortunate. I am found of their jowls.
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Great shots indeed!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
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Thank you. Hard to believe something so cute is so dangerous.
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You were close getting those shots then!
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Wow! dynamite photography of nature’s beautiful creatures ~ awesome!
carol, xo
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Great captures!
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you’ve composed a great tribute to the hippo JOWLS!
my grandchildren like to watch this video every evening:
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