wb_vultures_on_fallen_hippo
We came across this hippo that had died the previous night, a lost territorial fight is thought to be the most likely cause. At the time there were only white bcaked vultures with a few kites, eagles and marabu storks waiting their turn, maybe 100 birds altogether. The white backs really needed some lappet faced vultures to open up the carcass so were struggling to gain access. We came back just a week later - see the next image.
The hippopotamus, or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae . The name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse" . After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl.
