They're big.
They're scary.
And they don't like to share.
The watering hole isn't
big enough for both of them.
Coming to you live from the ring,
it's another sweltering South African day.
Our competitors seem to have
the same idea when it comes to
beating the heat.
The rhino fails to notice his proximity to
a trio of hippo calves
and their protective mom
isn’t too pleased about it.
She decides it's time to
end the rhino's spa day.
The hippo glides toward her foe.
With her ears, eyes and nostrils
facing up rather than out,
She is able to remain
mostly hidden underwater.
The watering hole is silent
for now,
Sensing that her babies are in danger,
mama hippo stealthily
approaches her target.
The rhino, relaxing in his mud mask,
doesn’t suspect anything.
The hippopotamus
charges forward,
her tusks and teeth bared,
and she punctures the rhino's thick skin.
The rhino recoils in shock,
slumping against the shore.
Oh, that's got to hurt.
Our first fighter has a flair
for the dramatic.
You don't want to get anywhere
near a hippopotamus
when it's having a bad day.
These vicious vegetarians
weigh in at up to 1,800 kg (4,000 lb)
and reach lengths of 4.2 m (14 ft)
from nose to tail.
Both the common and pygmy species
of this semi-aquatic mammal
live near slow moving water
south of the Sahara Desert in Africa.
Hippos are best known for
their cavernous jaws
filled with 36 dagger-like teeth.
Plus their mouths
open up to a 150 degree angle.
You'd be wise to keep your distance
Able to lurk beneath the surface
for 5 minutes straight.
The hippo catches her enemy off guard
and sinks them into the murky water.
But is her sneak attack enough
to take down
the world's second largest land animal?
The rhinoceros doesn't like surprises,
and unfortunately for him,
his weak eyesight fails to alert him
to danger
until it's too late.
Thrashing against his attacker,
the rhino attempts to overpower her
with his gigantic size.
He plans to use his greatest weapon,
his signature horn.
But you'll have to rein in
his rival's rage first.
The hippo holds on tightly,
furiously pinning down the rhino
with her solid ivory tusks.
The rhino manages to free himself,
pushing his massive weight
against the hippo
and toppling her,
exposing the weaker skin around her belly.
If he can move this match back to land
and charge,
his opponent won't stand a chance.
With their huge bodies,
armor like skin and intimidating horns.
Rhinos stick to a plant based diet
and aren't often challenged in the wild.
There are five species of rhino,
The largest, Africa’s white rhino,
weighs a whopping 3,500 kg (7,700 lb)
and measures 4.5 m (14.7 feet)
from head to tail.
Its horn or
two or three of them
can reach up to 150 cm (59 in) long.
All rhino species are endangered.
A solitary and generally passive animal,
the biggest threat to the rhino is,
well, us.
Rhinos attack humans
less than two times per year
and they don't usually kill us.
But poachers extensively hunt rhinos
for their keratin horns,
which some traditional medicines use.
Without their horns,
Rhinos are more vulnerable.
This rhino has his trusty horn intact
and he's ready to bring pain
to his attacker.
The heavyweight hippopotamus recovers,
rolling her barrel like body around
and regaining her balance
in the shallow water.
The rhino lets out a morning snort
and flashes his horn.
He's clearly angry about
his luxurious mud bath getting cut short.
The hippo lets loose
her best dominance yawn,
which looks a lot more terrifying
than it sounds.
She unhinging her cavernous jaw
and shows off her lethal tusks.
The hippo strikes again,
chomping down hard on the rhino's neck,
she wounds him.
Securing him tightly
she submerges his head under the water.
What a take down!
The hippopotamus wins!
Talk about having a short fuse
Hippos are responsible for
500 human deaths each year,
validating their status as a serious threat.
The rhino may outweigh
and outrun the hippo,
but her outrage is another story,
especially when it's paired with
her brutal bite force of
12,600 kPa (1,827 psi.)
Though the rhino recovered
after his rival’s first strike
and delivered a blow of his own,
The hippo still had something he didn't
a motive.
As a mother, she protects her young
from anything that could be a threat,
including a rhinoceros.
And the hippo's aggressive nature
fueled her fury.
Had the rhino relocated the match
from the water to the land,
his tackle speed of 56 km/h (35 mph)
and deadly horn would have won the fight.
But in the water,
the hippo used the familiar territory
to her advantage,
strategically forcing the rhino’s head
under the water to knock him out
or drown him.
Now the hippo train doesn't stop here.
How would the hippo fare against
the swamp dwelling crocodile?
Well, we'll see who wins
on another round of