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Blackberry ]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/born-wild-the-first-days-of-life/download-baby-animal-wallpaper-for-your-computer-or-mobile/5302/feed/ 5 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/victoria-falls/video-life-above-the-falls/5023/ http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/victoria-falls/video-life-above-the-falls/5023/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 13:09:21 +0000 tanner vea http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/?p=5023 As the water level drops, life returns to the river above Victoria Falls. The shallow, clear water makes it easier for the skimmers and fish eagles to catch their food. The bull hippos call loudly, signaling to other males to stay away.

Think you know all about hippos? Think again! NATURE’S HIPPO BEACH will have you seeing these heavyweight creatures in a different light!

Hippos may not look much like champion athletes, nor do they look like they have secrets hidden beneath their tough, muddy hides, but these strong, bulky animals have been surprising naturalists for years. From the study of hippos’ essential relationships with birds to the discovery that hippos can communicate underwater, these mammals deserve a closer look.

Considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, modern-day inhabitants and ancient Egyptians show an understanding of these powerful animals in their myths and folklore. While praised as protectors, hippos are often seen as violently aggressive, destroying crops and sometimes harming those who underestimate their surprising speed and agility. NATURE takes you to the sands of the Luangwa River’s Hippo Beach to explore these fascinating animals.

To order a copy of Hippo Beach, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Hippo Beachwas originally posted September 2007.

Female hippos have long been associated with a nurturing and caring nature. Much of a female hippo’s time is spent preparing for and raising her offspring. A community of females looking out for young hippos (ostensibly ruled by a dominant male) is the backbone of every hippopotamus pod. The ancient Egyptians recognized the role of the female hippopotamus and honored her as Taurt, the goddess of childbirth, protection, and mothers. Taurt has the head and torso of a pregnant hippo, the legs of a lion, and the tail of a crocodile. Amulets and statues of Taurt were thought to keep expectant mothers and infants safe. Ancient Egyptians named their children after her, and her name inspired that of the city of Thebes.

Perhaps this belief grew out of the close relationships that female hippos share with their children. A mother hippo will teach a young calf to swim and walk by her side to ensure that aggressive bull hippos cannot injure them. In fact, hippo cows will baby-sit the offspring of other mothers, a rare occurrence in the animal world.

Much of a female hippo’s time is spent preparing for and raising her offspring. But these caregivers have their own tremendous strength and capacity for ferocity. Try threatening the young of any herd — not a recommended pastime, by any means — and a cow will come charging, ready to protect the new generation with her sharp teeth and tusks. Rebellious offspring know firsthand the quick temper and violent habits of female hippos. Step out of line, and mom might slash you with her tusks, using her head as a weapon to roll you over and over. Then she becomes her old loving self again, showering licks and caresses on the now-subdued child.

The ancient Egyptians recognized this power as well: the pyramids are decorated with sculptures and drawings of the demoness Ammut. She stood by Osiris’ side, guarding the entrance to the Underworld with her crocodile snout, lion legs, and hippo hindquarters. The fate of an Egyptian’s soul lay with her: the new arrival’s heart would be weighed against a feather. If the soul didn’t measure up, Ammut (meaning the “Devourer of Evil Hearts”) would consume it, resigning its owner to eternal death. So while one hippo protects life, another one waits to judge that life, and perhaps to take it away.

In the hippo’s homeland of Sub-Saharan Africa, modern-day myths tell of Sangu, a powerful hippo goddess who demands that fishermen give her a sacrifice. If any fisherman should try to take her fish without first performing this ritual, she will attack his boat and attempt to drown him — thus returning his ill-gotten catch to her river, the Ubangi.

It’s no wonder that these gals are worshipped as goddesses: female hippos demand respect — and they get it, too! While a few dominant males will protect the territory and decide who mates with whom, the women on the inside run the show. When a male comes to call on a female hippo, he must show his submissiveness by remaining on his belly in front of her, until she decides to lie down and rest. In that case, he must then stand up to demonstrate his respect for her! Should she choose him as her mate, she visits him and receives the same preferential treatment, or he could find himself driven out by a herd of angry female hippos.

Protectors and disciplinarians, mothers and warriors, whatever female hippos may be, they play an active and essential role in the hippo world.

To order a copy of HIPPO BEACH, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for HIPPO BEACHwas originally posted September 2007.

As a South African growing up in Cape Town surrounded by the dramatic scenery and incredible botanical wealth of the Cape mountains, Justin Maguire at an early age developed a deep passion for the natural world. He began work as a camera assistant in the United Kingdom film industry before starting to make wildlife films together with his wife, Cluny South, over eight years ago. Since then he has worked throughout Southern and North Africa, the UK, and Asia, predominately for the BBC Natural History Unit. He won a photographic merit award for HIPPO BEACH and a joint cinematography award for WILD AFRICA – MOUTAINS. Maguire recently spoke to NATURE about his experiences filming hippos.

Q: What was the most difficult aspect of filming hippos?

Safely getting close enough without disturbing them.

Q: Did you take any extra precautions when filming them so closely? As you know, although hippos may appear non-threatening, they can actually be quite aggressive.

HIPPO BEACH filmmaker Justin Maguire I often needed to get close to hippo groups that were basking out in the open on sand banks a hundred meters or more from the closest obstacle or defensive barrier, so we had to be pretty careful. You don’t want to get caught out in the open alone with 2 tons of charging hippo and no place to retreat! So we built special filming hides that were based on the old English HAHA system (which were used in the 17th century as anti-deer defense). This involved digging a reinforced trench around our grass thatched filming hides that would hopefully put off, or at very least slow down, any wayward charging hippo. The filming passed off without any serious mishaps, although there were certainly some nervous moments when large groups of sun-basking hippos surrounded the hide and rival males clashed within meters of my camera. Luckily I never did get a chance to see if the trench system would actually work!

Q: How did you film the underwater and night-time sequences?

The underwater footage was filmed separately by a specialist underwater cameraman and with some remote cameras. The night footage was filmed largely with an image-intensifying “star light” camera enhanced at times with additional infrared light. It enabled us to get wonderfully wide shots of the river as hundreds of hippos came out at night to feed under a starry sky.

The reinforced trench and thatched filming hide.

Q: What surprised you the most about hippos?

They were petrified of us — slow-running tiny little humans — which is amazing considering their incredible size and potential to cause harm. They have obviously learned over hundreds of years of persecution that humans are bad news, and it will take some time for us to make amends.

Q: What will you remember most about filming this project?

My wife, Cluny, and I worked together on the project throughout. One night we woke up in our little (by hippo standards) tent to hear an odd, but very loud noise. It took us both a while to realize it wasn’t the other one snoring, but the sound of grinding hippo teeth chewing grass within feet of our heads — just outside the tent! I don’t think either of us took a breath until it had finished the good grass and had headed off. It felt like hours!

To order a copy of HIPPO BEACH, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for HIPPO BEACHwas originally posted September 2007.

Web Sites

Turgwe Hippo Trust

http://www.savethehippos.com/turgwehippos.html

Read articles or “Sponsor a Hippo” through the Turgwe Hippo Trust, an organization devoted to preserving the future of the endangered hippopotamus.

Animal Bytes: Hippopotamus

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-hippopotamus.html

Learn fun facts about hippos from the San Diego Zoo.

Hippopotamus

http://www.yptenc.org.uk/docs/factsheets/

animal_facts/hippopotamus.html

Get the facts on river hippos and their miniature cousins, the pygmy hippos.

IUCN Hippo Specialty Group

http://moray.ml.duke.edu/projects/hippos/

Browse the latest news on hippo conservation.

National Zoo: Nile Hippopotamus

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AfricanSavanna/fact-hippo.cfm

Read about hippo behavior in the wild and in captivity in this article by the National Zoo.

Taweret, Goddess Demoness of Birth, Rebirth and the Northern Sky

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/taweret.htm

Learn more about Taurt, the hippo goddess, and her place in Egyptian mythology. Then learn how you can spot her constellation.

Hippopotamus Amphibius

http://sailfish.exis.net/~spook/hipptxt.html

To order a copy of HIPPO BEACH, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for HIPPO BEACHwas originally posted September 2007.

Narrated by

MARK HAMILL

Producer

PHIL CHAPMAN

Photography

JUSTIN MAGUIRE

Film Editor

MARTIN ELSBURY

Dubbing Editor

KATE HOPKINS

Dubbing Mixer

GRAHAM WILD

Music

JENNIE MUSKETT

Writer

SOPHIE COOPER

Assistant Producer

CLUNY SOUTH

Researcher

EMMA ROLFE

Field Assistant

REUBEN MBAO

Production Coordinator

YVONNE WEBB

Unit Manager

CHRISTINA HAMILTON

The BBC Wishes to Thank:

Zambia Wildlife Authority

Zambia Information Services

South Luangwa Area Management Unit

People of the Luangwa Valley

Jo & Robin Pope

Series Editor

NEIL NIGHTINGALE

BBC Bristol

Web Credits

Producer
DANIEL B. GREENBERG

Designer
MICHAEL DIMAURO

Pagebuilding
BRIAN SANTALONE

Writer
ELIZABETH OWEN

Technical Director
BRIAN LEE

Lesson Plans Writers
MAUREEN CARROLL, LAUREL BLAINE,
Bay Breeze Educational Resources

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Tamara E. Robinson, Vice President & Director, Programming

To order a copy of HIPPO BEACH, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for HIPPO BEACHwas originally posted September 2007.