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How do male hippopotamuses warn rivals that a territory is occupied?
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hippopotamus
The word hippopotamus is Greek for “river horse,” which reflects their behavior: they are often seen basking on the banks or sleeping in the waters of rivers, lakes, and swamps across Africa. They favor shallow areas where they can sleep half-submerged, though these places can become quite crowded—as many as 150 hippos may use one pool in the dry season.
To warn rivals that a territory is occupied, male hippopotamuses engage in a specific routine display. Adjacent territorial bulls will stare at each other before turning to expose their rear ends out of the water. They then use their tails to rapidly wag back and forth, flipping feces and urine in a wide arc.1
Additionally, both territorial and subordinate males create dung piles along pathways leading inland, which likely serve as olfactory signposts or scent markers to communicate at night.1