Researchers Baffled to See How Severe Drought Caused Crocs and Hippos to Engage in ‘Abnormal Behavior'

Animals had their individual lifestyles in nature and rarely engaged in unusual forms of mingling unless forced together. The ideology of a group or a pack was significant to the animals, as seen in the behaviors of wolves and lions. In one such instance of urgency, a group of hippos and crocodiles were forced together at one location, according to a Reddit post. The coverage was shown by PBS in their nature show, Katavi: Africa's Fallen Paradise. The hippos and crocodiles were seen frolicking together in one of the last standing waterholes in the region. This company was the result of an extreme drought in the area, and the animals were in search of water sources.

The narrator commented on how the weather of Katavi was becoming ‘hellish’ as the days went by, likely affecting the fauna. Hippos were not blessed with the ability to sweat to keep them cool, and the visual showed that it was difficult for a mother and child. The baby, in particular, faced a risk of being overheated without water, according to PBS. The visual was a delight as the narration captured the situation with the perfect words. “Displacing crocs is risky, but they must cool off,” the narrator said. Finally, the hippo found a little space to relax, though its neighbor was unwilling to share the space. The mother hippo’s patience was being tested at that moment.

However, the animal could not take such a risk, as it would fire up the entire pod, putting her child in danger. As the mother tried to make space, the child stayed in its mother’s shadow to prevent growing weak. The visual showed a crocodile trapped amongst the hippos, which was not a pretty situation to be in. “His only escape is to crowd surf. It's a stunt that could cost him his life,” the narrator added. However, he had to take the chance and make it out of the mess, despite knowing that the hippos could rip the crocodile in half. After a few nail-biting minutes of uncertainty, the crocodile made it out of the crowd, and the baby found deeper waters to rest in.

The location that was chosen by PBS Nature’s filmmakers to capture this unusual event was the lesser-known national park, Katavi. It was at the heart of Africa’s Great Rift Valley and spread across more than three thousand square miles of western Tanzania, according to KPBS. The animals that considered Katavi their home were tested that season, as the severe drought was followed by heavy rains. These animals had to quickly adapt from the thirst of having no water around to dealing with their habitats sinking. This unusual climatic cycle changed the natural dry season of the area into the most difficult drought in almost a century.

Hippos and crocodiles were able to coexist at that moment, as the former animal was a herbivore and was not interested in eating the crocodile. As for the latter, they were aware of the power of the hippos and that the crocodiles faced severe danger from engaging with them. However, this unexpected weather led hippos to fight for their river territories that were slowly disappearing. Crocodiles could survive long periods without food or fresh water, but even they were affected by the severity. In a moment of uncertainty, the animals were forced to be benevolent and share their space to accommodate their neighbors, regardless of whether they liked it or not.