Rosie’s Pan is a popular waterhole for all the animals that frequent Naledi, including leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, lions, hippos and of course, elephants.
We captured this incredible sighting at the Rosie’s Pan waterhole, Naledi Game Lodge, Balule, South Africa.
Elephants love water
Elephants are very precious over their waterholes, and they’re not very happy to share. African elephants are reliant on water; large adults may drink as much as 225 L of water per day, they are also quite picky about the water they drink and, in times of drought, will prefer to dig for water in dry riverbeds than drink muddy water. An elephant’s trunk may hold as much as 10 L of water. Water is not only a necessary bodily requirement, it is also a source of fun; elephants love to play and swim in water, often splashing themselves to cool down
Hippos are the third largest mammals
Hippopotamuses are the third largest land mammals after elephants and rhinos. Being amphibious, permanent water sources are critical to the persistence of hippos in an area. In this case, it’s the biggest vs the third biggest.
The hippo is not chased away from the waterhole easily. Showing a stubbornness to cool down in the heat, the hippo refuses to leave, even after being pushed out of the waterhole twice.
Hippo’s eyes, ears and nostrils are positioned high on the head which allows them to expose those areas but still remain submerged. They keep a keen eye out and stare at any animal that enters or approaches the water. Keeping submerged is important because of their thin epidermis that is sensitive to desiccation and sunburn.
Pushed from the waterhole
As much as the hippo tried to keep their cool in Rosie’s Pan, the elephant ultimately won the battle of wits and strength, managing to chase the hippo from the cook waters, not without some pushing and shoving.
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