Hippos vs rhinos, if these two large animals are tough on the front, who will win? Elephants are usually thought of when it comes to large land mammals, but this time we're going to turn our attention to hippos and rhinos. How much do you know about them? Hippos are large, rounded and watery animals native to Africa. The word "hippopotamus" comes from the Greek meaning of "water horse" or "hippopotamus," although hippos and horses are not close relatives. Rhinos may look a bit like prehistoric creatures, and they do date back millions of years to the Miocene, but they are also hippopotamus-like mammals.
Hello everyone, I'm the Director of the Exploration Bureau. In this issue, we will explore the combat power between the two largest animals on land besides elephants, and the director will analyze the physical hardware, weapons and habits, and try to give an objective and fair answer with the most scientific and reasonable explanation.
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Hippos have a large body, short, thick legs, a huge head, and a short tail, each with four toes. Males are usually 3.5 meters long, 1.5 meters tall on their shoulders when standing, and weigh 3.5 tons. The skin of the abdomen is 5 cm thick, but other parts are thinner and almost hairless. They are usually grayish brown in color with a pink tinge on the lower part. The mouth is half a meter wide and can be opened 150 degrees to expose the teeth. The lower canine teeth are very sharp, possibly over 30 cm. The ears, eyes, and nostrils are located high above the head so that the rest of the body remains underwater. Many skin glands release an oily "lotion" with a slight reddish or pink color, which has led to an ancient myth that hippos sweat, a pigment that is actually a sunscreen that filters out ultraviolet radiation.
Rhinos are characterized by having one or two horns on the upper surface of the nose. These horns are not real horns, but are made up of keratin, a type of fibrin found in hair. Modern rhinos are large animals, ranging from Sumatran rhinos with a body length of 2.5 meters and a shoulder height of 1.5 meters to a white rhinoceros with a body length of 4 meters and a shoulder height of nearly 2 meters; the adult weight of this large species is 3-5 tons. Rhinos have thick skin that form plate-like folds, especially at the shoulders and thighs. All rhinos are gray or brown, including white rhinos, which just tend to be paler than other rhinos. With the exception of the Sumatran rhinoceros, they are almost or completely hairless, except for the tail end and ear margin, but some fossil species are covered with thick fur.
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Hippopotamus originally operated in sub-Saharan Africa, but currently includes East African countries such as Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. As semi-aquatic organisms, they prefer to live in shallow waters such as lakes, rivers or swamps. A depth of about 2 meters is perfect for this animal, which can immerse the entire body in water. Hippos can even sleep underwater. Through reflexes, they can float, breathe deeply, and sink again without waking up.
Today, there are about 27,000 wild rhinos in the world. Due to decades of ongoing poaching and habitat loss, few rhinos have survived outside national parks and protected areas. Today, only a small number of Javan rhinos are found in a national park at the northern tip of Java. Successful conservation measures have led to an increase in the number of one-horned rhinos (or Indian rhinos), from about 200 in the early 20th century to about 3700 today. The larger one-horned rhino is one of Asia's biggest success stories, and as their numbers have increased significantly, their status has changed from endangered to fragile. In Africa, the southern white rhino was once thought to be extinct, but now thrives in protected protected areas and is classified as a near-threatened rhino. But the wild western black rhino and the northern white rhino have recently become extinct.
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Hippos have a healthy appetite and are mostly herbivorous. Adult hippos eat about 35 kilograms of grass every night and walk 10 kilometers a night to eat. Of course, they also eat fruits found during nighttime foraging. If there is a shortage of food, hippos can store food in their stomachs and thus not eat for up to three weeks. Although hippos have long been considered purely herbivores, a 2015 study published in the journal Mammal Review found that hippos occasionally eat carcasses of animals, including other hippos.
Rhinos are herbivores, which means they only eat plants, and the types of plants they eat vary from species to species. This is because their noses are shaped differently to accommodate different types of food. For example, the black rhino eats leaves or bushes because its long lips allow it to pick leaves and fruits from a high place. The white rhino has a flat nose that allows it to graze close to the ground.
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Unlike humans, hippos do not have sweat glands or sebaceous glands. This species relies on water or mud to stay cool. These animals have a flexible social system, and the common group usually consists of 20-100 hippos, with males controlling the territory. But during dry periods, large numbers of hippos are forced to congregate near limited pools. This overcrowding undermines the hierarchy, leading to higher levels of attacks, with the oldest and strongest males tending to achieve eventual dominance.
Most rhinos are solitary animals and individuals usually avoid each other. But white rhinos are social animals, up to a maximum of 10. Rhinos have poor eyesight but a keen sense of hearing and smell. They mostly prefer to avoid humans, but males and females with cubs may be provocative. Black rhinos are usually grumpy, elusive, and may attack any unfamiliar sounds or smells. Despite their large size, they are very agile, reaching speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour, even in dense bushes, and can turn quickly after missing a charge.
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Now, let's take a look at these two animals going head-to-head, who will win the final victory? Is it a hippopotamus or a rhinoceros?
Hippos are generally considered the most ferocious and aggressive animals in Africa. In contrast, rhinos are less aggressive and are actually more solitary animals. First of all, rhinos have poor eyesight and are the worst in the animal kingdom. Hippos are obviously much grumpier than rhinos, and they are more agitated than rhinos. A male hippopotamus often competes with other huge male hippos for the opportunity to mate with all females, and there is a huge 6-meter-long crocodile, so a male hippopotamus has considerable combat experience. Rhinos don't have the experience of sustained fighting like hippos, and certainly don't have the courage of hippos in sudden confrontations. Moreover, hippopotamus's canine teeth are calcified and stronger than rhino hornin. But rhinos can easily pierce the soft body of hippos. But conversely, hippos can't easily bite through the rhinoceros's skin, nor will they bite through enough to be deadly.
If the hippopotamus is too far from the water, the rhinos may win. On land, rhinos have advantages over hippos in terms of speed, maneuverability and weight. The rhino can attack hippos, and while its horns aren't as hard as the hippopotamus's tusks, it's still hard enough to penetrate the hippopotamus's skin. After poking enough horn-sized holes in the hippopotamus skin, the hippopotamus will eventually lose blood and die. If a fight takes place at the water's edge, say next to a puddle, then things become more dangerous. Rhinos don't dare to go into the water, and hippos don't dare to get too far from the water's edge, lest rhinos' land advantages come into play. If both animals fight in the water, the hippopotamus will almost certainly win. Hippos are much faster and more maneuverable in the water, and it's likely to push the rhino farther and farther away in an attempt to drown the rhino, which is something it can absolutely do.
Regardless of which side is the ultimate winner, both animals can suffer serious injuries. So, in my opinion, this match will end in a draw. I once read evidence of a battle uncovered by a group of African hunters in which the warring parties were a hippopotamus and a black rhino, and the end result was no winner: the hippopotamus was killed by the rhinoceros, but the back of the rhino was torn open.
So, which do you think is the hippopotamus or the rhinoceros that has the greater fighting power? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. I'm the Director of the Discovery Bureau, if you like my article, don't forget to click the Follow button while liking the favorite and retweeting, thank you!