See Footage of Two Male Hippos Fighting Over Territory - A-Z Animals

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When we as humans have disagreements with other humans we typically talk it out or if necessary take it to court. However, animals don’t have that luxury. When they have a disagreement their only option is to do it the old-fashioned way and duke it out. Let’s watch this fight between two male hippos fighting over the territory above.

Hippo Sighting in Africa

This YouTube video posted at the top of this blog post takes us to the Kruger National Park which is located in Africa. This video was shared by the Africam YouTube page. This channel has live streams of wildlife in Africa. The idea behind this is to provide people with footage of how animals act when no one is around in their natural habitat. This camera captured footage of two hippos fighting in the water.

Two Hippos Fighting in Africa

As the video starts, we see two hippos starting to fight one another. Their mouths are open wide. At about 18 seconds, we see a third hippo emerge from the water. But, does their best to stay out of this squabble.

According to the San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants, “When rival males meet, they stand nose to nose with their mouth open as wide as possible, up to a 150-degree angle!” This is about four feet in height. Throughout a hippo fight they will continue to keep their mouths open, and open even wider to show their aggression.

We see these hippos fighting in the water, which makes us wonder do hippos live their lives in the water.

Do Hippos Live In Water?

When we see videos or pictures of hippos we often see them in water. And while they can live out of water, they live the majority of their lives in water or near large bodies of water.

According to the San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants, “With their eyes, ears, and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see, and breathe while most of their body is underwater.” They don’t live their lives underwater, as they can only hold their breath for about five minutes.

Male hippos take their water territory extremely seriously. And they will fight other hippos, sometimes to the death if necessary. Although that is rare and also not typically necessary. Hippos can have great fights that are very bloody, but the hippo who is defeated often knows when to bow out.