Hippos Are Nature’s Submarine

Down at the watering hole, hippos are showing off their uniqueness. These enormous herbivores are native only to Africa. Their bodies are engineered to adapt to a mostly aquatic lifestyle.  A hippo’s nostrils are on the top of its snout and zip themselves shut as soon they encounter water, and its skin acts like a dive suit to keep the hippo warm underwater and cool on land.  Although they are consdiered herbivores, on very rare occasions, hippos have been spotted killing and eating wildebeest and antelopes such as impalas, or scavenging the corpses of other hippos. Read more at Mpala Live’s Field Guide, and of course see the hippos on the Hippo Watering Hole Live Cam. Check out more photos from our post on the Five Best Snapshots here.