Hippopotamus vs White Rhinoceros

[Super Communist]

Hippopotamuses are among the largest living mammals; only elephants and some rhinoceroses and whales are heavier. They can live in the water or on land. Their specific gravity allows them to sink and walk or run along the bottom of a river. Hippos are considered megafauna, but unlike all other African megafauna, hippos have adapted for a semi-aquatic life in freshwater lakes and rivers.

Because of their enormous size, hippopotamuses are difficult to weigh in the wild. Most estimates of the weight come from culling operations that were carried out in the 1960s. The average weights for adult males ranged between 1,500–1,800 kg (3,300–4,000 lb). Females are smaller than their male counterparts, with average weights measuring between 1,300–1,500 kg (2,900–3,300 lb).[10] Older males can get much larger, reaching at least 3,200 kg (7,100 lb) and occasionally weighing 4,500 kg (9,900 lb). Male hippos appear to continue growing throughout their lives; females reach a maximum weight at around age 25.
On the National Geographic Channel television program, "Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr", Dr. Brady Barr measured the bite force of an adult female hippo at 8100 N (1821 lbf); Barr also attempted to measure the bite pressure of an adult male hippo, but had to abandon the attempt due to the male's aggressiveness. Hippopotamus teeth sharpen themselves as they grind together.

Hippos measure 3.3 to 5.2 meters (11 to 17 ft) long, including a tail of about 56 centimeters (22 in) in length and average about 1.5 meters (5 ft) tall at the shoulder. The range of hippopotamus sizes overlaps with the range of the White Rhinoceros; use of different metrics makes it unclear which is the largest land animal after elephants. Even though they are bulky animals, hippopotamuses can run faster than a human on land. Estimates of their running speed vary from 30 km/h (18 mph) to 40 km/h (25 mph), or even 50 km/h (30 mph). The hippo can maintain these higher speeds for only a few hundred meters.

VS



The White Rhinoceros is the world's largest land mammal after the three species of elephant. It has a massive body and large head, a short neck and broad chest. The head and body length is 3.4 to 4.2 m (11 to 14 ft), with the tail adding another 37 to 71 cm (15 to 28 in). Shoulder height is 1.5 to 2 m (4 ft 10 in to 6 ft 7 in). Weight in this animal typically ranges from 1,360 to 3,630 kg (3,000 to 8,000 lb). The male, averaging 2,300 kg (5,100 lb) is slightly heavier than the female, at an average of 1,700 kg (3,700 lb). The largest recorded White Rhinoceros was about 4,500 kg (9,900 lb).

[Reticulatus]

i think the hippos giant tusk and gape win the fight maybe 8/10

[Taurus]

^ I disagreed with 8/10. It's 50/50 but I do think that White rhino wins more than the hippo as I am assumed they are face to face, very few animals can get around the rhino's central horn and the hippo is not one of these.

[Felis Rex]

This is a classic. Its really situational, the hippo has an advantage if the rhino doesnt notice it until its close range. If the rhino gets a good charge though........

[Reticulatus]

what happens when a rhinos head long charge is met with massive open jaws? the hippo might get gouged or gored but i think the rhino get its head crushed.

[Taurus]

Jan 4, 2012 19:09:47 GMT -5 Reticulatus said:

what happens when a rhinos head long charge is met with massive open jaws? the hippo might get gouged or gored but i think the rhino get its head crushed.

I don't think the hippo can crush a large robust skull (not mentioned that it has two horns) that easily and I don't think the rhino's head can fit into a hippo's mouth anyways.

[Felis Rex]

[Reticulatus]

I don't literally me crushed, sorry should have chose my words better. What I am trying to say is that a portion of its head would fit into the hippos mouth and though the hippo probably couldn't crush the rhinos skull to splinters or anything like that but it's still not healthy to place to be. The real threat is going to be in the hippo's lower jaw.



Head to head the hippo's lower tusk are going to be dangerously close to the underside of the rhino's jaw and throat.

[Reticulatus]

we have no poll?

[Taurus]

The hippo's upper mouth will be in dangerous postion for being impaled by a rhino's horn and possible kill a hippo that way. Another problem with a hippo goes against a grazing rhino as the white rhino's head is close to the ground so the rhino has great chances to impaled into the hippo's neck easily.

[Reticulatus]

[Canid Cetus Aves]

Based on the video and the description of the size/weights, I think a Rhino would win against a younger or smaller Hippo. However, if the Hippo is an old male, it would have a significant weight advantage, and I think it would win this match.

[Felis Rex]

Hippopoyamua?

[Reticulatus]

omg I can't believe I didn't notice that! I have been posting in this thread for days. lol

[Canid Cetus Aves]

Jan 5, 2012 19:55:16 GMT -5 Felis Rex said:

Hippopoyamua?

I was going to change it but I decided not to. But ya, I was wondering why he wrote that.