- Baboon
- Buffalo
- Bushbuck
- Cheetah
- Duiker
- Eland
- Elephant
- Giraffe
- Grysbok
- Hippopotamus
- Hyena (Spotted)
- Impala
- Jackal (Black-Backed)
- Klipspringer
- Kudu
- Leopards
- Lion
- Mongoose (Banded)
- Nyala
- Porcupine
- Rhino
- Roan Antelope
- Sable Antelope
- Smaller Carnivores
- Steenbok
- Tssessebe
- Vervet Monkey
- Warthog
- Waterbuck
- Wilderbeest (Blue)
- Wild Dog
- Zebra
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
THE HERBIVORES AND OMNIVORES
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Largest of the fresh water mammals, the hippo reaches an adult mass of 2 000 to 3 000 kilograms and has a very thick hide and bulky, thickset body. A more ungainly animal than a hippo walking slowly on a river bank could hardly be imagined. Yet in water the hippopotamus is truly at home; its massive body supported to a large extent by the water, it moves gracefully through this environment and even swims when the need arises. By day hippo are generally found in slow-moving, fairly deep parts of rivers, where they tend to congregate in groups of about five to ten, although as many as 70 or more may be found together.
Males some times become very aggressive and domineering, resulting in vicious and lengthy fights, the loser of which is usually forced to leave the herd. Sharp canine and incisor teeth are situated at the front of the exceptionally large, wide mouth, and males can inflict severe wounds with these tusks. The pink-scarred skin of a beaten hippopotamus as it surfaces for air bears witness to the effectiveness of these weapons. Hippos prefer to remain in or near water by day, and if suspicious or uncertain will submerge for several minutes, finally breaking the surface with a spray of water from each nostril. Often during the daytime wallows a male will bellow loudly, which may cause several other hippo to respond with similar deep-throated, staccato grunts. At suitable sites hippo are frequently seen lying resting on a patch of clear sand adjoining the river. These well-rounded animals feed by night, leaving the water towards evening to forage on grass or small shrubs along the river banks, often covering considerable distances. Their dung is very easy to recognize, as they have the peculiar habit of 'spraying', or fanning, the dung against a shrub or tree. Aerial surveys indicate that there are nearly 3 000 hippo in the various major rivers of the Park.
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