Watch a Hippo Chase a Boat With Shocking Speed and Strength

While they may look docile most of the time, hippopotamuses can be fierce, even aggressive animals. A boat on Lake Naivasha in Kenya found out just how fast these animals when a hippo chased them with surprising ferocity.

The video begins by showing footage shot of hippos lounging in the river. Luke, the main speaker in the video, asks a guide questions about hippos.

“They’re very dangerous, right?” Luke asks.

“Very, very dangerous,” the guide replies. “They’re the biggest killer in Africa. It is said hippos have killed more people in Africa than any other animal. The biggest killer.”

As the boat makes its way through the water, you can see many hippos in their natural habitat. With just the tops of their heads sticking out, they do not immediately look as dangerous as their wild reputation.

One hippo decides to come closer to see what the boat is doing. Its eyes and small ears are easy to pick out from its enormous silhouette. Still, with just the upper portion of its head out of the water, the animal moves quickly as it approaches the boat.

The Chase is On

“He didn’t like us,” says Evan, another viewer behind the camera. The hippo dips below the water, disrupting the fish as it moves around.

From a distance, the boat goes by more hippos. One opens its mouth wide, showing the powerful muscles and teeth that make up these enormous animals. As the boat continues, one hippo decides that it has had enough.

Dipping down into the water, the hippo begins to chase the boat. People onboard nervously move away from the edges as the hippo continues in the boat’s wake. It moves through the water with amazing speed.

As the hippo starts to slow down and lose interest, another one takes its place. This hippo is even closer and jumps around in the water as it begins to chase the boat.

The boat quickly speeds away and the hippo goes back to its group, known as a bloat.

What an exciting, albeit scary, day for those onboard!

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