# Yes- hippopotamuses do occasionally eat meat. . **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773 "2014-07-10T15:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/1 "2014-07-10T15:59:00Z")
I recall discussions in my high school Biology classes. Hippopotamuses are classed as herbivores. There’s been debates for years whether they ate meat. Generally a herbivore like a cow or horse would never touch meat. Their digestive system can’t handle meat. Caught on Camera. A Hippo faces down a lion and dines on elephant. The hippo looks pretty well fed to me. This doesn’t seem to be an act of desperation. Especially taking food away from a lion and her cubs. That’s pretty bold. [Its one of those WTH moments in nature.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2687478/Don-t-mess-hungry-hippo-Lioness-decides-let-bigger-beast-away-food.html) I guess its a good thing hippos normally prefer grass. I’d hate to have that big thing stalking me for dinner. :eek: > [@](#): > > After a tense encounter, the majestic cat left the elephant carcass to the hippo and retreated into nearby bushes. > > But the lioness made sure she was first in line for leftovers. > > While the hungry animal feasted on the meat, the big cat returned to sit patiently behind the hippo and wait her turn. > > And after a few minutes of feeding, the hippo slowly made its way into the water, leaving the scraps for the lioness and her cubs. > **[Hippopotamus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopotamus)** > > The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (/ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs/; pl.: hippopotamuses; often shortened to hippo (pl.: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis). Its name comes from the ancient Greek for "river horse" (ἱπποπόταμ... > **[List of herbivorous animals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_herbivorous_animals)** > > This is a list of herbivorous animals, organized in a roughly taxonomic manner. In general, entries consist of animal species known with good certainty to be overwhelmingly herbivorous, as well as genera and families which contain a preponderance of such species. > Herbivorous animals are heterotrophs, meaning that they consume other organisms for sustenance. The organisms which herbivores consume are primary producers, predominantly plants (including algae). Herbivores which consume land plants... > [@](#): > > With the exception of eating, most of hippopotamuses’ lives – from childbirth, fighting with other hippos, to reproduction – occurs in the water. Hippos leave the water at dusk and travel inland, sometimes up to 10 km (6 mi),[32] to graze on short grasses, their main source of food. They spend four to five hours grazing and can consume 68 kg (150 lb) of grass each night.[53] Like almost any herbivore, they consume other plants if presented with them, but their diets in nature consists almost entirely of grass, with only minimal consumption of aquatic plants.[54] Hippos are born with sterile intestines, and require bacteria obtained from their mothers feces to digest vegetation.[55][56] Hippos have (rarely) been filmed eating carrion, usually close to the water. There are other reports of meat-eating, and even cannibalism and predation.[57] The stomach anatomy of a hippo is not suited to carnivory, and meat-eating is likely caused by aberrant behavior or nutritional stress.[12]:84 ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/2 "2014-07-10T16:54:31Z")
We’ve had threads on this before, and the consensus is that virtually no animal is truly an exclusive vegetarian. Grazing animals may eat mice or baby birds, for example. The flip side is true too - few carnivores are truly exclusive meat eaters. The issue is whether the animal is well-suited to digesting meat and whether they can obtain it on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/3 "2014-07-10T17:14:41Z")
That must have been one hungry hippo. A very hungry hippo. An extremely hungry hippo. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/4 "2014-07-10T17:23:36Z")
I can’t provide a cite but I read somewhere that hippos are considered more dangerous than lions. They kill more people than the carnivorous predators in Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/5 "2014-07-10T17:26:20Z")
From what I’ve read, hippos have a nasty reputation. Right up there with the honey badger in terms of animals that are just plain mean bastards. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/6 "2014-07-10T17:27:47Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > That must have been one hungry hippo. A very hungry hippo. An extremely hungry hippo. But do they ever eat marbles? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/7 "2014-07-10T17:55:42Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > That must have been one hungry hippo. A very hungry hippo. An extremely hungry hippo. :smack: That was painful. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/8 "2014-07-10T18:04:12Z")
😕 is that a movie quote that I haven’t heard before? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/9 "2014-07-10T18:09:18Z")
[Hungry, hungry, hippos.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_Hungry_Hippos) You can find the old commercial on Youtube probably. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/10 "2014-07-10T18:29:04Z")
ah, I’d forgotten that game. thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/11 "2014-07-11T14:19:46Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > … Generally a herbivore like a cow or horse would never touch meat. Their digestive system can’t handle meat… I can’t post a link from work, but recently on Cracked there was a video segment showing what are generally thought of as herbivore eating meat including a cow eating a live baby chick, a dear eating a wounded bird, other dear eating carion, and a rabit eating a crow. Apparently, many animals are opportunistic omnivores. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/12 "2014-07-11T19:01:17Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > [Hungry, hungry, hippos.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_Hungry_Hippos) > > You can find the old commercial on Youtube probably. om nom nom [nom!](http://i.imgur.com/SAb6iyw.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/13 "2014-07-11T19:50:21Z")
People like to create simple, sharply defined categories. Nature doesn’t. We categorize most animals as either “carnivores” or “herbivores” and expect all but a few animals (bears, raccoons, et al) to fall into one of those categories. Similarly, we divide carnivores into admirable “predators” (yay!) and contemptible “scavengers” (boo!). In reality, nature doesn’t make such neat distinctions. In reality, most “scavengers” (hyenas, jackals, buzzards, et al) hunt and kill live prey at least occasionally. And very few “predators” (lions, wolves, eagles, whatever) will shun a carrion dinner if it’s available. In the same way, MANY animals that mostly eat plants will gladly eat meat if it’s available. Deer will eat carrion if they stumble upon it. Rabbits will pounce on a live lizard and eat it if they see one. Now and then, cows and horses will eat small birds that wander by. I hadn’t heard of hippos eating meat, but it doesn’t shock me a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/14 "2014-07-11T20:06:19Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Similarly, we divide carnivores into admirable “predators” (yay!) and contemptible “scavengers” (boo!). You rooted for the predator on Wild Kingdom? I hear it was mostly the camerapeople who were rooting for the lion to win because it happened so rarely and it meant they could stop filming 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/15 "2014-07-11T21:24:39Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > You rooted for the predator on Wild Kingdom? I hear it was mostly the camerapeople who were rooting for the lion to win because it happened so rarely and it meant they could stop filming 🙂 Okay, perhaps “admirable” is the wrong word, but animals perceived as “scavengers” have always been scorned, can we agree on that? In _ **The Lion King** _, to use one pop culture example, the predatory lions are seen as noble, if dangerous. Meanwhile, the scavenging hyenas were depicted as the lowest of the low. My point was merely this: it’s NOT that simple. Lions who stumble upon a dead, rotting zebra will eat it as quickly as a hyena or buzzard or jackal would. And hyenas are very good pack hunters. The dividing line between “Predator” and “Scavenger” isn’t that clear. And neither is the line between “herbivore” and “carnivore.” ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/16 "2014-07-15T04:33:39Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I can’t provide a cite but I read somewhere that hippos are considered more dangerous than lions. They kill more people than the carnivorous predators in Africa. I’ve heard this many times, but have always imagined that the hippos involved acted from motives of fright or territorial issues. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/17 "2014-07-15T04:51:00Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Similarly, we divide carnivores into admirable “predators” (yay!) and contemptible “scavengers” (boo!). I think we do this subconsciously because the most “admired” predators, being generally from the wolf and cat families, seem closest to our most popular pets in appearance and habits. With most scavenger mammals, this is decidedly less so. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/18 "2014-07-15T11:07:21Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I’ve heard this many times, but have always imagined that the hippos involved acted from motives of fright or territorial issues. [Obligatory link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEjPDS8Jp1E#t=21) ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/19 "2014-07-15T16:45:25Z")
I’ve posted this before - I read a publication by IIRC the Canadian Museum of Nature on North American mammals, which noted that years of field studies showed that polar bears were the only such animals observed to be strict carnivores and woodchucks the only strict herbivores. I particularly remember a reference to a herd of caribou snarfing up migrating lemmings by the dozens. While most animals are optimized for certain types of foods, in behaviour and/or physiologically, pretty much all of them will eat other stuff if it is readily available. In many cases, such as the caribou example, it is believed that this is a way to obtain scarce trace nutrients, such as the extra calcium needed for antler growth, more than for food calories as such. Caribou will also gnaw on discarded antlers and bones for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-hippopotamuses-do-occasionally-eat-meat/692773/20 "2014-07-15T20:39:06Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > We’ve had threads on this before, and the consensus is that virtually no animal is truly an exclusive vegetarian. Grazing animals may eat mice or baby birds, for example. The flip side is true too - few carnivores are truly exclusive meat eaters. > > The issue is whether the animal is well-suited to digesting meat and whether they can obtain it on a regular basis. Well, I guess now we know why we haven’t been hearing much from Gayla Peevey…