The hippopotamus is a very mysterious animal, especially about how it is
socially communicated. A study revealed the unique behavior of this animal,
which will spray its droppings when it encounters its competitors.
This study found new information about animals that can run at a speed of 30
km per hour in this short distance.
Citing Science Alert, Thursday (27/1/2022), hippos, including animals that
are far more dangerous to humans than grizzly bears, do not like the
presence of other hippos near them.
They even show their disapproval expression in a quite extreme way, by
spraying large amounts of feces when they hear a strange sound from another
hippopotamus.
"We found that foreign vocalizations induce stronger behavioral responses
than those produced by individuals from the same or other groups," said one
of the study's authors, University of Saint-Etienne bioacoustician Nicolas
Mathevon.
This research also shows that they can identify vocal cues and behave
aggressively towards other hippos.
In this study, a team of researchers traveled to the Maputo Special Reserve
in Mozambique and began recording calls from seven groups of hippos
(Hippopotamus amphibius) in three lakes.
Researchers focused on the 'wheeze honk', the most common vocalization or
hippo sound. These sounds can be heard over long distances and are
considered part of the animal's social cohesion communication.
"Studying the behavioral biology of hippos in the wild is difficult because
they feed on land, especially at night, rather aloof. However, it is not
impossible to identify and locate them," the researchers wrote in their
report.
While during the day they gather in groups in the water. The hippo group has
a structure ranging from a dominant male, a number of females, children, and
other males.
However, it is unclear whether the hippo herd will form a stable group or be
able to move to another herd.
Furthermore, after the researchers recorded the sounds of these seven groups
of hippos, the researchers conducted an experiment by playing back the
sounds to find out how they would react to other hippos.
The team found that the hippo's behavioral response was aggressive. They
respond by spraying their droppings when they hear a strange sound from
another hippopotamus. The findings of the hippo's aggressive behavior are
interesting for several reasons.
First, although hippos look quite relaxed in the wallow, they actually have
a quick response to the sound of other hippos. This means they are still
paying close attention to the environment.
Second, the findings show that hippos are more aggressive towards other,
completely unfamiliar hippos. These findings may eventually provide a way to
aid conservation efforts when moving hippos.
"Before moving a group of hippos to a new location, one of the precautionary
measures is to introduce extraneous sounds from other hippos to the existing
group so they get used to it and the aggression can gradually decrease,"
says Mathevon.
Research on the behavior of hippos spraying their droppings when they hear
another hippopotamus has been published in the journal Current Biology.
