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? asked in Science & MathematicsZoology · 1 week ago

Hippo kills?

So they say that hippopotamuses kill the most humans of any animals in Africa. Knowing that hippos are supposed to be herbivores, but somewhat loose on the concept, have any of them been known to eat a human killed?

3 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 week ago
    Favourite answer

    They wouldn't be able to digest a human. Ungulates are typically herbivorous and many employ specialized gut bacteria to allow them to digest cellulose.

  • ?
    Lv 4
    1 week ago

    No, they do not eat humans and they do  not kill them in the first place by hunting them as a food source.

    The main reasons that people are killed by hippos is when people are in boats and either come up on a hippo by surprise, or they know hippos are there and they venture too close. People are also killed on land by surprise encounters with hippos or by getting up too close to them.

    Hippos attack out of self-defence and they are much more prone to do this if they have young with them. The hippo may only intend to scare you off but a combination of their size, mass, their huge teeth and possibly being in water, often means the encounter ends in death for the human or in severe injuries from which they later die.

  • Kenny
    Lv 7
    1 week ago

    If they do kill a human they spit them out . You know how vegetarians are .

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