The moment of extreme elephant bravado was filmed in the Pilanesberg National Park.
Elephant approaches hippo pod
Hippos and elephants are, in all respects, rather large creatures.
However, an entire pod of hippos lacked the courage to stand up to this boisterous elephant.
The elephant approached the riverbank where the hippos were relaxing with a certain macho bravado. In his eyes, this was his territory, and he was about to let them know it.
Tiny hippo eyes approaching elephant
As far as he was concerned, these hippos were on his turf.
This included a tiny hippo, which had been resting by his mother’s side.
It seems the small hippo was the first to pay attention to the charging elephant. You could see his little face looking out towards the elephant from behind his mother.
Elephant pursues hippos into the water
With his flapping ears and great tusks, the elephant presented an intimidating force. He was intimidating enough to get the whole pod of hippos up on their feet and moving towards the water. They moved with haste, coming quickly out of their restful mode.
The little one followed the larger hippos and they entered the water with a great splash!
They were much safer within the depths of the cool water, as this was home to them.
For much of the day, hippos take refuge in water, where their enormous bodies are supported by the buoyancy and their skin is protected from the harsh African sun.
Despite their bulky appearance, hippos are surprisingly agile in water, often resting partially submerged with only their eyes, ears and nostrils visible above the surface.
They can close their nostrils and ears while underwater and can remain submerged for several minutes before surfacing for a breath. Water also helps them regulate their body temperature, particularly during the hottest part of the day.
Elephant successfully clears riverbank
Having successfully cleared the riverbank, and feeling like the boss of this stretch of the bushveld, the elephant relaxed for a moment, and surveyed the horizon.
He was a large fellow and he hadn’t battled to make his presence known.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Hippos take refuge in water to avoid elephant confrontation
The hippos were now partially submerged in the waters. Their curious eyes gazed out above the water’s surface, and they possibly felt relieved that they had successfully evaded a charging elephant.
Or maybe this kind of threatening situation was one they were well familiar with, with many species, including intimidating ones like the elephant, gathering around the waterhole daily for life-giving refreshment.
For them, it might’ve just been business as usual.
Among those set of eyes was the wide eyes belonging to the tiny hippo. The little animal no doubt had many important lessons about bushveld interactions still to learn. However, during this encounter he had learned that elephants are not to be messed with.
We’ll keep you updated on the very best elephant moments with our WhatsApp updates group.
http://latestsightings.com/whatsapp-updates
