Quick Take
- A hippo chased a boater down a river, and the way it moved through the water is not what most people would expect from an animal this size. See how fast hippos move →
- Sharks get all the fear, but one animal kills far more people every year in Africa. It lurks in the same rivers where people boat. See Africa's deadliest animal →
Hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibius) should not be underestimated. After all, these massive land mammals can weigh between 1.7 and 2.2 tons! One eager hippo almost caught a boater in a video on YouTube, and it goes to show they are not to be messed with.
In the video, taken by Ryan Barrentine and shared by The Dodo, a hippo follows a man driving a boat. The hippo swims quickly underwater near the boat, making waves ripple in its wake. At one point, the hippo’s gigantic head emerges from the water right next to the boat before sinking back underwater. It’s unclear what happens next because the video cuts off. Does the hippo lose interest and stop following him? Does the boater immediately leave the water? However, we can assume the boater made it to safety since he was able to post this video.
One person commented on the video, “This makes being afraid of sharks silly. Hippos are no joke!” Another points out, “It’s incredible that they can move like that, and underwater no less. That is actually frightening considering the animal’s size.”
How Fast Can Hippos Swim?
Hippos have the nickname “river horse,” and they can hold their breath underwater for about five minutes. However, instead of swimming in the way we usually imagine, hippos typically walk or jump along the riverbed and then push off to glide through the water.
Hippos swim by walking and bouncing on the bottom of rivers, then gliding through the water.
©1001slide/iStock via Getty Images
While on land, hippos can reach speeds of around 19 mph. When in the water, hippos take advantage of their webbed feet to help them move around. By bouncing and gliding, they can move at about 5 mph in the water, which would be difficult for a non-motorized boat to outrun.
What Would Have Happened If the Hippo Caught the Boat?
Nothing good would have happened if the hippo had caught up to that boater. After all, hippos are the deadliest land mammal in the world, that are estimated to cause around 500 human deaths per year in Africa. Their strong bite is three times more powerful than a lion‘s and could cut a human body in half with a single bite, per CNN.
These animals are very territorial, so if your boat enters a hippo’s territory, you risk being attacked. Given how difficult it is to spot a hippo underwater — as shown in the video above — you could be caught completely off-guard before you even realize a hippo is nearby.
