The intimmidating hippo didn’t want to back down. However, neither did the cheetahs! The dramatic encounter was filmed by Tarryn Rae.
Hippo stands ground alongside waterhole
A tense wildlife encounter can unfold in seconds when predators come face-to-face.
These cheetahs had come down for a drink of water by the waterhole, which was clearly the territory of the hippo.
Cheetahs are among the fastest land mammals on earth, capable of incredible bursts of speed, however, speed is of little use when confronted by a large hippo.
Perhaps the cheetahs reckoned there was strength in numbers. While one of them had initially begun the stare down, the other cheetah soon stood at its side.
The pair of cheetahs refused to back down and held their ground, as did the hippo.
Neither side seemed willing to give way.
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Both cheetahs set their gaze on the hippo, which returned their gaze with an intimmidating stare.
Stare down ensues with neither species backing down
Cheetahs are highly specialised for chasing prey across open ground. Their slender bodies, long legs, flexible spines and large nasal passages are all adapted for acceleration and short, explosive pursuits.
They can reach speeds of around 100km/h over very short distances, although they cannot maintain those speeds for long.
On the other hand, a hippo represents almost the opposite strategy. It is a massive, powerful herbivore which spends much of its time in and around water.
Adult hippos can weigh well over 1 000kg, with large males sometimes exceeding 1 500kg. Despite their bulky appearance, they can move surprisingly quickly over short distances on land.
In spite of holding their ground, these cheetahs weren’t about to chance anything.
They maintained their distance from the hippo.
Hippo takes steps forwards
It was eventually the hippo which began to close the distance between the two species. It took bold steps forward, a colossal creature which appeared to know its rights concerning territory.
This was its waterhole as far as it was concerned and it asserted this by its brazen steps forward.
Tired of stare down, second cheetah goes to lie down
While the first cheetah remained fixated on the hippo and kept its steady focus, the other eventually lost interest. It seemed satisfied that the stare down was going nowhere and that all was safe.
With neither of the species willing to attack, this second cheetah went to lie down. It flopped onto the ground and stretched out its legs in front of it. Still, it lifted its head so that it could continue to watch the first cheetah and hippo as they locked their eyes and held their ground in a tremendous display of will.
For the cheetahs, staring down a hippo may have looked like an extraordinary show of courage. In reality, it may have been something much more practical. That is, it was more than likely a careful assessment of a potentially dangerous animal. For the hippo, standing its ground was equally sensible.
Watch nature’s finest in dramatic encounters
The bushveld is never without surprises and encounters like these ones reveal the telling nature of the species involves. Click here to join our updates group to receive regular sightings on WhatsApp.
