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Lion Goes To Attack A Hippo And Instantly Regrets It

Lion Goes To Attack A Hippo And Instantly Regrets It

Hippo 1-0 Lion.

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

In a battle of the food chain, it's a tough one to call.

Lions are known predators with their stalking skills in the long grass before pouncing with pace and those sharp teeth, but hippos carry those huge jaws and that incredible weight.

In a video recently posted online, this lion closes in on her pray, but as she starts poking around the rear-end of the hippo she soon realises what a mistake it was.

Credit: Storyful

The hippo, at first, seems to causally look around, maybe it's a mate just come to say hello, but on realising the threat could be a little more than that, he's up like a shot.

The lion thinks she's got away with it, and begins to stroll off, but the hippo isn't going to be taking no prisoners when it comes to his counterpart (and why should he?).

He opens up his wide jaws, and initially begins to tackle the lion by the neck, wrestling her to the ground.

Credit: Storyful

The lion manages to the throw the hippo off whilst on her back and quickly makes a sharp getaway in some impressive footage.

Nicholas Mullan, Ecological Management and Conservation Biology expert, says that you should never take a hippo as innocent.

He told LADbible: "Although hippos may appear to be laid back, cute and friendly looking creatures, they are definitely one animal you do not want to cross.

"They are very easily frightened and extremely aggressive. A fully-grown hippo will not hesitate to attack anything it perceives as a threat, including large crocodiles, rhinos, humans and even lions."

Credit: Storyful

However, he does not believe that the lion was going to attack the hippo, judging by her movements.

"From this video, it's very clear to see that this lioness is not showing any hunting behaviours, or signs of aggression, but more curiosity," added Mullan.

"It is plausible that the lion may have thought the hippo was dead or injured and was just assessing the situation as it would be very foolish for a single lion to take on and adult hippo.

"We can clearly see the lion back off once the hippo begins to show signs of movement. This extremely aggressive retaliation from the hippo was to be expected. They say curiosity killed the cat, however this lioness made one lucky escape."

Featured Image Credit: Storyful

Topics: Animals, Lions