An alpha hippo is challenged by two outside males. A coup by two hippo bulls is out of the ordinary, but this is no ordinary year, as a once-in-a-lifetime drought spurs unusual animal behavior.
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TRANSCRIPT
- [Narrator] He's never encountered a situation like this before.
(hippopotamus growls) (hippopotamus growls) Opening his jaws as wide as he can might warn off his attacker.
No such luck.
(hippopotamuses growling) And his threat display has backfired.
His nose is now well and truly pierced.
(hippopotamus growling) The other challenger seizes the opportunity.
(hippopotamuses growling) and joins in the fight.
(hippopotamus growling) The poor old alpha is in dire straits.
(hippopotamus growling) Attack from two cooperating males is incredibly rare.
They have a combined weight of over 10,000 pounds, and the strongest bite force of any land animal.
(hippopotamus growling) They push and pull him into deeper water.
(hippopotamus growling) Even at rest, a hippo can only hold its breath for five minutes.
The challengers seem to know that holding him under will drown him.
(water splashes) If the alpha dies, this baby hippo is likely to be killed by his successors.
(hippopotamus growling) So, as the old bull takes his final breaths, (hippopotamus growling) the mother quietly slips away with her calf.
A coup by two hippo bulls is out of the ordinary, but this is no ordinary year.
A deepening drought brought about by a once in a lifetime weather shift is altering animal behaviors across Katavi.
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