23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Wildlife
Hippos at rest

A hippo resting on another hippo's back in a crowded spot in the Luangwa river. During the dry season, hippos gathers into a pool deep enough for them to stay submerged and keep cool. However, sometimes there’s not always space for everybody in a ‘hippo camp’. Often dispute about territory takes place among male hippos and many of them get injured and might not survive the dry season. Hippos can attain a size of 4500 kg. Outside the protected areas of Africa, hippos are threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and teeth (ivory).

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Zambia
Copyright: © martin johansen