When you think of hippos, the image of massive, lumbering beasts lounging lazily in the river probably comes to mind. But beneath that calm exterior lies a territorial habit so wild—and honestly, disgusting—that it completely changed how I see these giants of Africa.
The Splashy, Stinky Reality of Hippo Territory
Hippos don’t just mark their territory with simple signs like scratching trees or spraying urine. Nope, their method is much messier — and more fascinating.
Male hippos fiercely defend stretches of river or lake. To mark their patch, they do something you won’t forget: they spin their tails vigorously while defecating, flinging a mix of dung and urine over a wide area.
This splashy display is like a neon sign shouting, “This is mine!” It’s gross, yes, but incredibly effective in keeping rivals away.
Nature’s Most Effective Territorial Display
Hippos have arguably the most memorable and repulsive territorial marking system in the animal kingdom. Here’s why they do this bizarre behavior:
Their tail acts as a high-speed fan, flinging feces and urine across an impressive distance – sometimes up to 10 meters! This isn’t just random messiness; it’s a sophisticated communication system.
While most animals use scents to mark boundaries discreetly, hippos take broadcasting to an entirely new level. The smell remains potent for days, clearly signaling to other hippos: “This space is claimed!”
During my years exploring Africa’s waterways, I’ve witnessed this spectacle more times than I care to admit.
The Science Behind The Spray
The hippo’s digestive system seems perfectly designed for this territorial behavior. Their intestines process vegetation quickly, creating semi-liquid waste perfect for spreading efficiently.
Male hippos are particularly enthusiastic about this behavior. They’ll often deliberately walk a few steps away from their pod, perform this disgusting ritual, then return to the water looking oddly satisfied with their work.
What makes this even more interesting is that hippos can recognize individuals from the unique chemical signatures in their dung. It’s like a smelly fingerprint system that tells them exactly who’s been in the area.
What This Means For Safaris
If you’re planning an African safari, particularly around water sources, here’s what I wish someone had told me before my first hippo encounter:
- Keep a respectful distance from hippo pods, especially when they’re exiting the water
- If a hippo turns its back to you and starts swishing its tail rapidly, MOVE BACK immediately
- Wear clothing you don’t mind getting potentially ruined
- Listen to your guide when they suddenly tell you to retreat, even if you don’t see danger
The most valuable safari tip I can offer: position yourself upwind from hippos whenever possible. Not only does this reduce the chance of them detecting your scent, but it also puts you out of the spray zone.
The Territorial Battles You Won’t See On Nature Shows
What most wildlife documentaries won’t show you is how serious these territorial disputes can get. I once witnessed two male hippos engaged in what I can only describe as a “spray-off” – each attempting to mark over the other’s territory with increasingly aggressive tail-flicking.
The confrontation eventually escalated into the thunderous clashing of massive jaws that hippos are infamous for. Those cute-looking teeth? They’re massive ivory weapons that can snap a crocodile in half.
The winning male proceeded to mark his newly defended territory with the most enthusiastic display of spinning, spraying, and defecating I’ve ever witnessed. A clear victory dance if I’ve ever seen one.
Staying Safe In Hippo Country
If you’re planning to visit Africa’s waterways, remember that hippos are responsible for more human deaths on the continent than any other large animal. Their territorial nature makes them especially dangerous.
Always maintain a distance from water edges at dawn and dusk when hippos are most active. Those splatter zones aren’t just disgusting – they’re a warning that you’re in a fiercely defended space.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below! I wish you amazing (and splash-free) wildlife encounters on your African adventures!
And make sure to follow me on my socials for more updates.
Sincerely,
Lizzy
I now have a YouTube channel as well!
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Hello Africa travellers!
Who am I? Well, the least you can say is that I am quite crazy about Africa, its nature, its climate, its culture, and more.
As a young woman in my twenties, I had already traveled to several African countries by traveling along in an overlander on my own and mostly camping ( or glamping ) and just fell in love with the diversity of it all.
So much, so that at the age of 26, I went back to university to study biology, which, unfortunately, I couldn’t finish because of health reasons (yes, I got sick from a tropical disease, oh cynicism). But this did not stop my dream of traveling back to Africa several times, and I still do.
My dream was back then to leave Europe and go study animal behavior, especially the elephants (sure, that’s every girl’s dream haha), but I am also very much intrigued by hyenas and other “ugly African animals“.
So, I “kind of” have a little bit of a scientific approach to my articles, when I write about African birds, for example. And most of all: the passion.
But life goes on, you move from one side of the country to the other, you get sick again and top it off with lower back problems, and before you know it, you are over 50 hahaha!
Now, I still travel to Africa, but take it a bit “easier” than the good old camping days, and stay in comfortable, yet affordable accommodations, together with my husband Wouter.
These are some of the countries I have traveled to: Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tunisia, and a little bit of Lesotho LOL .
While clearly not being African territory, but Spanish, I also visited Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and location-wise, I consider them “African”, because of their climate and nature, sue me :-p
The last trip I took was to South Africa in the year 2023, and it sure got the fevers for Africa back! From the Barberton mountains to the Drakensberg and the Southcoast, one month wasn’t enough at all to see the whole country, so we’ll be back! At ease and with a little bit more luxury than in my younger days haha!
I wish you happy travels!
Kind regards
Lizzy
