Typically, hippos occupy Africa’s lakes and rivers as the largest animals. However, when elephants come for a dip, they have no choice but to wait the intrusion out.
Elephants love nothing more than a good swim. Not only does the water cool them down, but it also helps shed parasites and brings relief from carrying around their massive bulk.
Watch the video here:
The gang arrives
As the video begins, we see a small herd of elephants at a waterhole. Only, they’ve not come to drink. They’ve come for a refreshing swim.
Despite their massive size, elephants are actually very capable swimmers. And, with such big bodies to keep cool, there’s nothing they like more than a romp in the water.
Hang on a minute!
However, the elephants do not have the waterhole to themselves. We discover this when a huge head suddenly rises above the waterline.
As it turns out, this pond is the home of a lone hippo. Hippos are highly territorial, but how will it react to this sudden intrusion?
Hippos attack everything from antelopes to lions that enter their homes. With a vicious temper, they can inflict devastating bites with their huge, powerful jaws.
Going under
Having seen the source of the disturbance, the hippo submerges. Indeed, even some of the elephants are fully submerged too.
See how the elephant uses its trunk as a snorkel. These remarkable appendages consist of over 50,000 muscles and are used in a variety of ways.
(Un)happy hippo
Subsequently, the hippo resurfaces. He seems to know that things won’t go well for him if he’s aggressive towards the elephants.
He has no choice but to wait until they’ve had their fun.
Play with a purpose
And they sure are having fun. Despite appearances, the elephant in the image below is not trying to drown or mate with his herdmate.
Instead, it is playful aggression aimed at establishing dominance. Most of the elephants are teenagers, as seen by their short tusks.
Meanwhile, there’s little the hippo can do but let out loud sighs of impatience.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
No signs of leaving
As another elephant joins the pool party, it’s evident that this might go on for a while. For the onlookers, it’s hard to dispute that the elephants are thoroughly enjoying their swim.
The hippo? Not so much. As the elephants stir up and muddy his home, there is little he can do but watch from a safe distance. Wouldn’t want to get squished in the middle of that!
A close call
To illustrate this, at one point, the elephants come barging towards the hippo. Consequently, the hippo drops to the bottom of the dam.
We then see a trail of turbulent water as he runs along the bottom to evade them.
Unlike elephants, hippos don’t float. When you see part of their body above the water, they’re more than likely standing on their hind legs.
This too shall pass
Safely out of harm’s way, the hippo resumes his watch on the playful elephants. Thankfully, he won’t have to wait too long.
If there’s one thing elephants love more than swimming, it’s eating. They’ll soon be on their way, leaving the hippo to wallow in peace.