Underwater Ballerina

With ample time in hall(hostel), I shall a blog series addressing an issue I'm very annoyed with. For the longest time, certain individuals who are not intellectually gifted have taken many cute animals for granted. From the television/ movies, we assume that most animals are naturally cute, cuddly and friendly.
I shall dispel the myths and misconceptions of

THE CUTE KILLERS

Subject 1: Hippopotamus (the Nile Hippo)

Myth: Hippos are gentle, graceful creatures with the nicknames, the underwater ballerina

Reality: They are powerful, aggressive and crazy machines.

If nature had a definition for a tank. This Behemoth would be the ideal candidate. Hippopotamus amphibius, the Nile Hippo have the bulk, the teeth and temperament that can send even rhinos running.

Yet ironically, the media has portrayed this giant as a gentle one. Their graceful movements through the water make them a lovable cartoon character. Do not be fooled! They are killers!

Upon being fully grown, these animals weight between 3-4 tons , making them the third largest living land animal on the planet. The word hippopotamus comes the greek words, hippo( horse) potamus( river). However, these animals are far from horses. Although they are in a family of their own, they are believed to be related to pigs and remotely to the cetacans(dolphins).

One of the most prominent features of the hippo have be their slimy skin. Their beautiful shine is due to a layer of special protective mucus known as 'blood sweat' due to its pink colouration. One may also notice that numerous scars cover the skin of males. This is not evidence that they are klutz, this is evidence that they like the beat the living shitlights out of one another.

Although we often associate hippos with water, an interesting note is that hippos only stay in water to protect themselves from the Sun. These nocturnal animal who spend their time in the day lazing in the water, actually return to land to graze every night.

But the reason why hippos are so dangerous is because... of their formidable jaws. Look at the picture on the above right. Do you still want to hug the cutey pie when she bares those beautiful tusks? Did you know that crocodiles actually swim away from hippos because they are capable of(and known to) crush those reptiles with the jaws? tsk tsk....

Finally. Yes. Hippos are deadly creatures. They are known to attack boats and humans without provocation. In fact, hippos have claimed more human lives than lions. Human body vs. Hippo jaw. Its an one-sided affair. really.

not so cute anymore eh?