Uganda: Murchison Falls NP – Hippos

Hippos congregate in hundreds if not thousands in the Victoria Nile delta. Hippos are actually poor swimmers so they need shallow water they can wobble in and the broad delta is perfect for that. Hippos spend most of the time in the water cooling off – their skin has no sweat glands – and they can’t tolerate direct sun. At night, they walk out on shore for grazing, sometimes traveling for 5-10km looking for greener grass and then returning to the water as the sun rises.