What Is The Most Dangerous Animal In Africa?Â
Anyone that thinks about Africa and the many different dangerous animals there are, a majority of the people will tell you that the most deadly animal is the lion. However, believe it or not they are wrong.
That is right the lion is not the deadliest animal in Africa although some may say otherwise. Surprisingly the deadliest animal in Africa is the hippo.
The hippo is an extremely aggressive animal by nature. A lot of the time the larger hippos use different postures and positions to ward off other animals from approaching them. In fact if you are out in the wild with them a lot of the time you will even notice some cuts and gashes in their skin from frights earlier on in the day.
But the one thing that most people do not know is that the animals are not the only ones that have to watch the hippo when it is in surrounding. Humans actually have to watch them when in the same area. The hippo attacks people as well. You would not think that is possible but it is. There are numerous amounts of documented hippo attacks in Africa. What most people do not know is that they are extremely territorial and will attack anything that they find as a threat. So that is why in some parts in Africa they may have signs while on a tour that will say ‘stay in the jeep’. There is a good reason for that unless you want to become the next statistic for when a hippo attacks.
The female hippo a lot of the time will stay in the river taking care of the young, they are the more laid back of the sexes, unless the male is not in the area. That is when the mother hippo will actually charge at anything to make sure her young are safe, and who could blame them as any parent hippo or human would do the same thing if their child were in danger.. The hippo is known to have canines that can be up to 70 cms long, with only 30 cms exposed and are capable of running a whopping 20 miles an hour. Now that is fast for something so big. No one would want to be on the receiving end when a hippo comes charging at you.
So, if you know anyone that is going on an African safari make sure that you remind them to keep their distance from the hippo, as they could end up in some realy serious danger if the hippo feels threatened. Once you remind them that hippo attacks are more common in Africa than having a lion attack they should have no problem keeping that in mind while listening to the tour guide while on their trip.
Just knowing these few simple but lifesaving facts could mean that you stay alive a little longer on your trip through Africa, and that is why the hippo is considered the most dangerous animal in Africa. Now what are your thoughts?
Africa’s Deadliest Animals – National Geographic
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