THE pre-colonial Africa continent is believed to have a vast savannah grassland rich in flora and fauna but today most of these highly priced heritages have vanished completely because of poaching and deforestations. Savannah grasslands of Africa harbour different spices of wild animals in great number than any geographical areas in the entire world but today scientists are warning that the savannah is a delicate ecosystem with many endangered inhabitants who are facing man made challenges because of economic development and pride.
Every day the level of danger to almost every animal dwelling in the Savannah is increasing with some species like Cheetah, Elephant and Rhinoceros finding themselves on the brink of extinction while others like Hippopotamus are retaliating through attacks to anybody getting closer in their environments.
Scientists say these attacks may be results of non stopping conflicts between the smartest creature and the king of African water who is said to originate from an ancestor called Hippopotamidae who roamed in savannah grasslands but moved into rivers and lakes of Africa about 20 million years ago in order to match with the climatic changes which happened during the Miocene and came with longer drought periods and high temperature.
It was during the same period about 18 million years ago when Kenyapotamus who is the great great grand parent of modern hippos who is also credited with the initial steps of adaptation from grassland to wetland and gained ability to swim and live in the river by using a special mechanism called Graviportal which enable their heavy body to submerge in water and Specific gravity which deal with gravitation force.
Scientists say their closest relatives are whales which they were separated more than 50 million years while historians say hypotheses that it was during this period when their ancestors grew webbed feet and that they looked like modern pigs and they were not aggressive because after the adaptation they swam to Europe where the ancient Greeks gave the name which is still used until today.
Few day ago many television viewers across the world saw a dangerous scenario from a news bulletin where an hungry hippo was fearfully chasing a motorboat which was carrying European tourists through one lakes in Africa but scientists say that these are result of constant conflicts between humans and the king of wetland in Africa who historians believe that in ancient days the hippo was cool and obedient.
From a humble mammal of 50 million years ago today the hippo is passing through a difficult period associated with loss of habitat, drought and interference by human economic activities which dramatically have changed the humble and lazy looking mammal into a most dangerous animal in Africa.
Like a killer in rampage, hippos are responsible for about 50% outrageous attacks which cause death to many farmers, tour guides and tourist in different lakes, swamps and rivers in Africa but scientists say the herbivorous mammal is now changing very fast into a carnivorous and cannibal who kill and eat his own brother and sister. Scientists say they have observed two separate incidents where group of hippos were involved in eating a carcass of their fellow hippo while fighting with each other and some courageous crocodiles who dared to get closer to these killers.
Scientists say what was more unusual in this event the state of the carcass which had all signs of decomposing but the mammals who are believed to be an herbivorous didn’t care and continue to feast on the body which was weighing more than 1,500 kilogrammes and send shocking waves to ecologists who think the second heaviest land animal is evolving into a deadly scavenger.
The above incident took place in Kruger National Park of South Africa but scientists say that there are some evidences of hippos changing their habits into predators because in 1995 some of them were seen snatching, killing and eating antelopes and primates who were coming to drink water from a pool in Hwange National Park of Zimbabwe.
This is not a thing to laugh about or ignore, it’s a serious habitual change which puts people and other animals in danger because in a day a healthy hippo is capable of consuming about 50 kilogrammes of grasses making scientists more worried of what will happen to villages located near a national park like Manyara where there is history of attacks from these evolving and deadly mammal.
For a long period of time there has been conflicts between man and this mammal who has few enemies in jungle but scientists say its possible we don’t much them because samples of the dung collected from different game reserves and national parks in Africa including those found in Tanzania have indicated that the hippo is turning into an omnivorous who eats everything including flesh from his own relatives.
Tanzania followed by Zambia is believed to have the largest population of the animal who are endemic to Africa south of Sahara and scientists are saying that something smart must be done to stop the hippo from evolving into a scavenger or predator because with capacity of putting a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour and powerful jaws it will be dangerous to live in townships like Babati which is located near lake Babati or Mtowambu near lake Manyara
Every day the level of danger to almost every animal dwelling in the Savannah is increasing with some species like Cheetah, Elephant and Rhinoceros finding themselves on the brink of extinction while others like Hippopotamus are retaliating through attacks to anybody getting closer in their environments.
Scientists say these attacks may be results of non stopping conflicts between the smartest creature and the king of African water who is said to originate from an ancestor called Hippopotamidae who roamed in savannah grasslands but moved into rivers and lakes of Africa about 20 million years ago in order to match with the climatic changes which happened during the Miocene and came with longer drought periods and high temperature.
It was during the same period about 18 million years ago when Kenyapotamus who is the great great grand parent of modern hippos who is also credited with the initial steps of adaptation from grassland to wetland and gained ability to swim and live in the river by using a special mechanism called Graviportal which enable their heavy body to submerge in water and Specific gravity which deal with gravitation force.
Scientists say their closest relatives are whales which they were separated more than 50 million years while historians say hypotheses that it was during this period when their ancestors grew webbed feet and that they looked like modern pigs and they were not aggressive because after the adaptation they swam to Europe where the ancient Greeks gave the name which is still used until today.
Few day ago many television viewers across the world saw a dangerous scenario from a news bulletin where an hungry hippo was fearfully chasing a motorboat which was carrying European tourists through one lakes in Africa but scientists say that these are result of constant conflicts between humans and the king of wetland in Africa who historians believe that in ancient days the hippo was cool and obedient.
From a humble mammal of 50 million years ago today the hippo is passing through a difficult period associated with loss of habitat, drought and interference by human economic activities which dramatically have changed the humble and lazy looking mammal into a most dangerous animal in Africa.
Like a killer in rampage, hippos are responsible for about 50% outrageous attacks which cause death to many farmers, tour guides and tourist in different lakes, swamps and rivers in Africa but scientists say the herbivorous mammal is now changing very fast into a carnivorous and cannibal who kill and eat his own brother and sister. Scientists say they have observed two separate incidents where group of hippos were involved in eating a carcass of their fellow hippo while fighting with each other and some courageous crocodiles who dared to get closer to these killers.
Scientists say what was more unusual in this event the state of the carcass which had all signs of decomposing but the mammals who are believed to be an herbivorous didn’t care and continue to feast on the body which was weighing more than 1,500 kilogrammes and send shocking waves to ecologists who think the second heaviest land animal is evolving into a deadly scavenger.
The above incident took place in Kruger National Park of South Africa but scientists say that there are some evidences of hippos changing their habits into predators because in 1995 some of them were seen snatching, killing and eating antelopes and primates who were coming to drink water from a pool in Hwange National Park of Zimbabwe.
This is not a thing to laugh about or ignore, it’s a serious habitual change which puts people and other animals in danger because in a day a healthy hippo is capable of consuming about 50 kilogrammes of grasses making scientists more worried of what will happen to villages located near a national park like Manyara where there is history of attacks from these evolving and deadly mammal.
For a long period of time there has been conflicts between man and this mammal who has few enemies in jungle but scientists say its possible we don’t much them because samples of the dung collected from different game reserves and national parks in Africa including those found in Tanzania have indicated that the hippo is turning into an omnivorous who eats everything including flesh from his own relatives.
Tanzania followed by Zambia is believed to have the largest population of the animal who are endemic to Africa south of Sahara and scientists are saying that something smart must be done to stop the hippo from evolving into a scavenger or predator because with capacity of putting a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour and powerful jaws it will be dangerous to live in townships like Babati which is located near lake Babati or Mtowambu near lake Manyara
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