Hippopotamus amphibius

[Spalea]

David Yarrow: " No Nearer⁣

The hippopotamus is a difficult animal to photograph in a way that is either different from the generic “mouth open” offerings, or truly portrays an adult’s bulk and menace. They are dangerous animals and it is foolhardy to get too close. This is as close as I ever want to come to a protective adult – particularly when I am in the water. Hippos kill 3,000 people a year in Africa.⁣
There is an intensity to this image from a few years ago – it has an almost hypnotic pull that draws our eyes back time and time again to the adult’s eyes. Her eyes conveyed both protection and alertness. She probably weighed the same as 20 adult men combined.⁣
Meanwhile, the baby hippo also offered great context to the enormity of an adult’s face. The early morning light and the adult’s wet face combined to give detail on a facial bone structure that is bordering on prehistoric and quite without equal.⁣
I like this photograph, which was taken just 20 minutes before I had to leave the Zambezi to find my way home. The previous few days had yielded nothing. I hope one day to revisit this special place. "

Reply