# Why are elephants tuff but hippos and rhinos sissies **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 18, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629 "2000-02-18T02:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/1 "2000-02-18T02:35:00Z")
I was watching a nature program and (this is the second time on a different nature program) The elephant comes on thru and the lions and hyenas clear out fast. Even the little ones make the lions and hyenas run Now it takes THREE hippos to stare down ONE female lion. Why? we are talking 4000 pounds of toothed hippo to one one lioness (what could she weigh 300# max) Two hyenas harass this massive rhino and his buddy. The guy has this huge horn, why didn’t therhino just gore him? The elephants seen to actively go after lions and hyenas. ---
**Author:** ![Nu\_Vo\_Da\_Da](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/97f17d/32.png) [@Nu\_Vo\_Da\_Da](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nu_Vo_Da_Da)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/2 "2000-02-18T02:44:00Z")
Elephants aren’t especially “tuff” compared to the other two. They are however more aggressive in some circumstances. A lone Elephant(normally they travel in herds) would be a rouge male, probably quite aggressive. With the three hippos, was this on land or in water? Hippos on land are rather awkward and unsure of themselves(to the extent that a 1 foot high wire, or rope, strung up around a garden will keep them outl-Hippo fences) If they were on land then yeah, they probably wouldn’t be that intimidating to a female lion. Finally, Rhinos are big and slow to react(though they can build up to quite a bit of speed), also they have rather poor eyesight( best way to avoid a charging rhino? move 3 feet to the right). This is probably why the hyenas(small, quick moving predators) were able to harass them like that. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/3 "2000-02-18T02:51:00Z")
Yeah, agility is probably a big part of the equation. I once watched a rhino couple attempt mating at the Houston Zoo. The guy would charge and get up some speed and sort of jump as well as rhinos do and go ballistic and… miss. I watched for an hour and left worried about the rhinocerous’ viability as a species. ---
**Author:** ![PUNdit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@PUNdit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PUNdit)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/4 "2000-02-18T03:18:00Z")
Nu Vo Da Da said: > [@](#): > > A lone Elephant(normally they travel in herds) would be a rouge male, probably quite aggressive. Sorry, I don’t usually comment on typos (I sure make enough of them) but this one put such a mental image in my head I can’t help it. Would a rouge elephant be one of those “girly man” elephants? Would a lion or hyena be afraid of it because of homophobia or because of all animals, it would seem that elephants would be world class felchers? * * * “You can be smart or pleasant. For years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” Elwood P. Dowd ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/5 "2000-02-18T05:04:00Z")
Rhinos don’t actually use their horns very often. Mostly in mating and territorial disputes. And hippos, they can run fast, but I’m sure aren’t very maneuverable. Elephants, on the other hand, kick ass. A well-placed kick could easily kill a lion or hayena. And it would be very hard to kill an elaphant. A few bites and scratches to their legs are not gonna do much. But one could conceivably open up the gut of a smaller creature. The other theory I have is this: Hippos and rhinos are not pack animals. Elephants most difinaley are. Safety in numbers. A few predators aren’t gonna do much to a herd of elephants. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/6 "2000-02-18T07:20:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Nu Vo Da Da: > **Elephants aren’t especially “tuff” compared to the other two. They are however more aggressive in some circumstances. A lone Elephant(normally they travel in herds) would be a rouge male, probably quite aggressive.** I’m sorry too – can’t resist. If you’re seeing rouge elephants instead of pink ones, you’re REALLY in bad shape! \< g \> -Melin ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2000, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/7 "2000-02-18T09:29:00Z")
And if you ever encounter a mauve one… Lets just say the pink and roughe varities are woosies by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-elephants-tuff-but-hippos-and-rhinos-sissies/7629/8 "2000-02-21T02:43:00Z")
The hippos I saw were inthe water and the lioness was on shore taunting them. In every nature film I have seen they live in heards. Also hippos live with crocodiles and alligators and even the baby ones aren’t afraid of them. I would think an alligtor would be tuffer than a lion.