Why Don't Crocodiles Eat Hippos? Analyzing the Real Reasons
In people's minds, crocodiles are "evil fish." Mention a crocodile and one immediately thinks of a bloody gaping mouth, densely packed sharp teeth, a body covered in hard armor, and a look ready to devour a person at any moment. Such a ferocious crocodile should be invincible, but there happens to be one creature that crocodiles dare not provoke, and that is the hippo. Let's take a look below at why crocodiles don't eat hippos!
Hippos Have Powerful Teeth
Hippo teeth can easily pierce crocodile skin. Hippo teeth are very large; the incisors and canines are tusk-shaped, and the lower incisors do not grow upward but extend forward parallel like shovels, reaching a length of 60 to 65 cm and weighing 2 to 3 kg. The canines also reach a length of about 60 cm, and their hardness is extremely high, enough to even deflect ordinary pistol bullets. With such powerful teeth, would they still fear crocodiles?
Hippos Have a Strong Bite Force
Hippos have an especially large mouth, bigger than the mouth of any animal currently living on land, and it can open to a 90-degree angle. With such a big mouth, biting a crocodile in half is no problem. Moreover, the hippo's bite force is very strong, possessing a bite force of more than 1000 pounds per square inch. A female hippo's bite force is 1800 pounds, and a male hippo's may be even higher, even 2000 pounds.
Hippos Are Large in Size
On land, the hippo is a mammal second only to the African elephant, Asian elephant, African forest elephant, white rhinoceros, and Indian rhinoceros in size. Its body is huge and clumsy, with a body length of 300 to 360 cm, a tail length of about 56 cm, and a general weight between 0.9 and 1.8 tons. And when fighting, the big fat one always overwhelms the thin one in momentum.
The Crocodile's Killing Move Is Ineffective
The crocodile's way of fighting enemies (dragging them into the water) is ineffective against hippos. Hippos can swim and are even better at diving. They have a special set of flexible muscle tissue that works like a valve, able to close their ears and nostrils when diving. They spend most of each day in the water, and each dive can last about 5 to 10 minutes, but they can also stay submerged in the water for half an hour without coming up for air. How could a hippo with such a high-end setup fear a crocodile?
Hippos Have Tough Skin and Thick Flesh
A hippo's body is wrapped in a thick layer of skin, with the thickness on the back and sides reaching 4 to 5 cm. The skin is thick and smooth and hairless. The reason crocodiles do not eat hippos is also because hippos are hard to bite into and impossible to bite through.