The Kruger National Park HippoThe hippopotamus is a large animal that is most often found wallowing in rivers and dams throughout Kruger National Park. They're a common site in most watering holes, but they're also very easily mistaken for grey rocks! Their snouts sometimes even look like crocodile noses when they're just floating beneath the surface of the water.These large clumsy looking mammals don't actually swim. They walk along the bottom of rivers and dams. Did you also know that they release a red substance from their skin that's like a sunscreen? Plus their closest living relatives are:
At some Kruger National Park rest camps near rivers, such as Lower Sabie, you can hear these great animals laughing in the rivers at night. It's unforgettable! |
||||||||||||
If you stop at a waterhole, a river or even a special viewing hide where these great beasts are about, wait a while and you're sure to see one of them open their massive jaws and expose their humongous lower canine teeth. They do this when they feel threatened.