# Are hippos the most dangerous animal?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hippos-the-most-dangerous-animal/44331>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [December 6, 2000, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hippos-the-most-dangerous-animal/44331 "2000-12-06T17:41:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hippos-the-most-dangerous-animal/44331/41 "2001-01-23T10:59:18Z")

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In the spirit of SDMB’s TMs chasing possible leads to the truth down any burrow, I found the following article in New Scientist 11/02/1995 p10 (yeah well, old maybe, but I doubt that the statute of limitations has expired!)

> [@](#):
>
> “If you’ve seen a hippopotamus defacate you might have wondered why it spins it’s stubby tail, sending dung flying in all directions. A game keeper will mutter something about marking its territory, while a Bushman will tell you the hippo is showing God it has been eating only grass ans not fish - one of the conditions laid down if it wanted to live in water. But scientists working in the Kruger National Park in South Africa have a different answer: inside the warm airless reaches of the hippos rectum are leeches looking for love.”

The leech, \* Placobdelloides jaegerskioeldi \* is apparently a parasite unique to hippos. It would appear from the article that once sexually mature and fully fed, the leeches migrate into the hippos rectum to breed.

> [@](#):
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> “All the sexually mature specimens the researchers found in the rectums (of culled hippos) were unattached and moving about freely, suggesting that they were there in search of sex rather than food.”

Researchers also note that while “there were obviously some very interesting adaptions involved” further study would involve working with a live hippo and that this didn’t seem to be a viable option. 😃

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2001, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hippos-the-most-dangerous-animal/44331/42 "2001-01-23T12:43:43Z")

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So, at this medical convention in London, a doctor from Africa and a doctor from Asia are having a loud discussion.  
“The word is woomba,” insists the doctor from Africa.  
“No, the word is whoomp,” says the doctor from Asia.  
A British doctor passing by interrupts and says, “Gentlemen, I think the word you mean is ‘womb’” and then moves along.  
The Asian doctor turns to the African doctor and says, “I’ll bet he’s never even SEEN a hippo, let alone heard one fart under water.”

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**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hippos-the-most-dangerous-animal/44331/43 "2001-01-24T01:29:39Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by woolly \*  
> \*\*The leech, \* Placobdelloides jaegerskioeldi \* is apparently a parasite unique to hippos. It would appear from the article that once sexually mature and fully fed, the leeches migrate into the hippos rectum to breed.
> 
> > [@](#):
> >
> > “All the sexually mature specimens the researchers found in the rectums (of culled hippos) were unattached and moving about freely, suggesting that they were there in search of sex rather than food.”
> 
> \*\*

I’m never eating _or_ having sex again.  
For the record.

- Jill

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**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hippos-the-most-dangerous-animal/44331/44 "2001-01-24T03:58:08Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by JillGat \*  
> \*\*I’m never eating _or_ having sex again.  
> For the record.
> 
> - Jill \*\*

I’m confused Jill … which record for eating or sex do you currently hold?

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