There are many animals that like to keep others from intruding on their territory. Access to resources, potential prey, and mates can make a huge difference in surviving, or falling by the wayside.
Africam sent this footage to Latest Sightings, and it shows a potential territorial dispute taking place between two water dwelling animals, as well as an opportunistic hunt, as a crocodile closed in on a young hippo.
Taken at Naledi Game Lodge, the footage is tense, and it helps to emphasize that crocodiles, which often appear ungainly on land compared to predators like lions or hyenas, are deadly when in the water.
Stress Levels Increasing
The baby hippo came into view first, wading through a shallow patch of water close to the bank. It looked alone and exposed, and at this point of the footage it was vulnerable to any predators that were in the immediate area.
The young calf was also very aware of this itself, and as the camera pulled out to show a large crocodile in hot pursuit, the calf quickly begins running as fast as its little feet will take it.
Smooth and menacing, the crocodile didn’t seem to increase its speed, but it was heading straight for the hippo with unwavering focus. Due to its youth, this hippo would be the preferred target for the crocodile, rather than a much larger, stronger, and better prepared adult.
To The Depths
Hippos are famous for their rotund appearance, but this belies their capacity for speed. They can outrun humans on land, and in water, which makes them very dangerous, and very fast for their large size.
They are slower in water, but still capable of moving swiftly when the need arises. The density of their bodies means they don’t float on the surface of the water like other animals, but sink to the bottom where they use their strong legs to run along the water bed.
This speed pales in comparison to crocodiles, however, which have evolved to be so efficient in their habitats that they didn’t need to evolve any further. Capable of swimming at speeds as high as thirty kilometers an hour, this dangerous predator could catch the hippo in moments.
Face Off
It looked like the crocodile was assured to have a relatively easy meal, until the hippo calf reached its destination. The crocodile’s prospects changed significantly in just a few seconds as the adult hippo stood staunchly between the croc and its potential prey.
Safely behind its mother, the baby hippo poked its head up above the water as the crocodile came to a halt before the adult hippo. A hippo calf would have been easy pickings, but an adult was another matter entirely.
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The Hunter Becomes The Hunted
Both animals have immensely strong jaws, with the crocodile being able to exert more force than the hippo, but an adult hippo is simply too large for a crocodile to effectively attack, and this one wisely decided not to engage.
The crocodile swam away, but the adult hippo was dissatisfied with this, and began chasing the crocodile down to dissuade it from hanging around, or daring to return.
This was likely a mix of the adult hippo keeping its calf safe, but also potentially protecting the integrity of its own watery territory from predator incursions.
