Seeing the ways that animals interact with each other in the wild can result in some really quite bizarre moments between them. These encounters are typically linked to fighting over resources, but sometimes there can be other motives.
In this footage from Jacques Proust, an interaction between a rhino and a hippo took a strange turn when the hippo realized that it could make use of a rhino’s pointy horn as a natural toothpick.
The hippo only made this discovery after spending a good amount of time antagonizing the unfortunate rhinos which likely just wanted to be left alone.
Strangers In The Night
The hippo encountered the rhinos late at night, when they were both grazing on the same patch of grass. It’s not uncommon for either of these animals to meet in this way, when the temperature is lower and moving around is more comfortable.
While hippos are well-known for spending much of their time partially or fully submerged in water, rhinos also enjoy spending warm days resting, or wallowing in mud to keep themselves cool.
When the heat of the day has safely passed, both of these animals will become more mobile, and graze on the grass without needing to worry about keeping cool.
Not Quite Friends
Sometimes these encounters can involve a lot of posturing for dominance, especially if the grazing rhinos drift too close to a hippo’s territorial water.
Although in this case the two animals didn’t seem to be particularly hostile towards each other, they also weren’t getting along peacefully. The hippo especially seemed determined to get some kind of reaction.
Exactly what that reaction would be wasn’t clear. Rhinos are liable to charge at anything they perceive as a threat which, because of their poor eyesight, can include almost anything.
Being A Nuisance
Strangely enough, it actually didn’t include this annoying hippo. Despite the latter appearing to intentionally bother the rhinos, they didn’t make any effort to charge at it or ward it away.
It was actually the opposite, with the hippo opening its mouth wide as a potential show of aggression or dominance, and even chasing the rhinos from one side of the grassy patch to the other.
Perhaps the hippo did start out trying to establish its ownership of the area, especially if they were close to a body of water, or maybe it just thought there would be more food for itself if it chased the rhinos away.
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An Ideal Toothpick
If the hippo’s original intention was to ward the rhinos away and keep the grass for itself, then its motivations quickly changed when it made a very unexpected discovery.
Opening its mouth wide was likely a behavior it was using to establish dominance, but because the rhino was so close, its horn actually reached just inside the hippo’s mouth.
The rhino’s horn was also exactly the perfect height for the hippo to use as a toothpick, putting it to work to make sure its mouth was clean and fresh. This is definitely something that safari goers won’t see everyday.