Watch What Happens When a Lion Startles a Hippo
Hippos are one of the world's most dangerous land mammals—and they don't like to be startled.
A lion curiously strolling through the savanna ended up paying with its life after it encountered a hippopotamus.
Video taken near the Maasai Mara wildlife reserve in Kenya caught a curious big cat with what at first seemed like a close call. While strolling through the tall grass of the savannah, the lion comes across a sleeping hippo. Likely curious about the motionless lump, the lion sniffs the rear end of the hippo, which startles it, causing it to jump to its feet and give chase to the lion, nudging the cat with its mouth.
"She seems to be simply curious, sniffing the hippo," said Kathleen Alexander, a Virgina Tech professor who has studied African lions. (Watch
