Hippos are majestic creatures that dwell on both land and water. They mostly spend their days chilling in lakes and rivers of which they deem their name, “water horses.” Interestingly, contrary to popular belief, they’re actually closely related to whales, orcas, and dolphins. Known for their friendly look and undeniable huge size, these unique animals only feed on plants and don’t eat meat. But don’t be fooled with their green diet as they are one of the most dangerous animals in the world. This is because of their unpredictable nature and aggressiveness, not to mention that they have incredibly tough tusks that serve as useful defense and a strong bite that can crush even a whole watermelon in one go. Yes, you read that, right!
A video posted by Brian, a zookeeper working in Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark, displayed a glimpse of how strong a hippo’s jaw can be. You can see Brian tossing a whole watermelon to a composed hungry hippo, ready for its meal. With its mouth wide open, the footage perfectly gave you a view of how it devoured that fruit within seconds, chomping it to a pulp. Having a bite force way stronger than a lion’s, this creature has chowed down its entire meal in one go with ease. What a snack guru!
Yet, this impressive animal isn’t much of a melon fan. In fact, they like the fruit’s outer green parts better than the red ones inside. So, it’s fine for them to leave out some of those juicy parts as long as they don’t waste up any of the hard surfaces. I know, right? Weirdo! According to Brian, they were fed with watermelons that were mostly too ripe to market and were usually left to rot. So, vendors from the local supermarkets donate these instead of throwing them away. That’s one way of putting unsold produce to use!
Watch the jaw-dropping video below and let out all your amazed “whoa” as the hippo effortlessly munch on whole watermelons.
If you loved this oddly satisfying footage video, you could check out more on Brian’s Instagram account. See videos of these hungry hippos chowing down different foods like apples, cabbages, and even pumpkins. Enjoy!
Featured Image: Instagram