Who Eats Hippos?
If you've ever seen a hippo up close and personal (or at least on the other side of a fence), you can easily attest to its size. But you may be surprised to know that it is actually the third largest land mammal alive today (the elephant and the white rhino are larger). Since it holds this sizable honor, is there anything on this planet that will actually eat it, or at least call it their prey?
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Identification
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The adult hippo doesn't really have a natural predator, or an animal that feeds on the species as its prey. Unless, of course, you were to broaden the scope outside of the animal kingdom than you would have to consider man as the hippo's foremost predator. However, lions, hyenas and crocodiles often prey on hippo calves.
Significance
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While their size deters many animals from eating them, man has hunted this "river horse" for years. They are sought not only for their meat, but also their hides, fat and teeth. In the grasslands of West and East Central Africa, hippos are considered a commodity.
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Effects
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Since the hippopotamus live in groups of 15 or more, it was fairly easy for man to hunt them down. Since hippos are a fairly territorial animal (once it establishes a territory, it will defend it from any thing it sees as an intruder), when people need to clear a space for housing, they will often kill the hippos that live there.
Potential
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These days, hippo meat is illegal to sell and distribute. But this doesn't mean that the hippos that are killed today aren't hunted by man for food. Actually, due to the legalities surrounding the slaughter of hippos and the sale of their meat, a significant black market trade has arisen. Not surprisingly, it is a very lucrative industry that is extremely difficult to snare and prosecute.
Prevention/Solution
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Though nature reserves have been established to protect hippos, they are still quite vulnerable to poachers, as the money that can be made from their slaughter is substantial. Despite the fact that hippos are said to have an innate ability to increase their numbers at a fairly quick rate, they should still be protected.
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