Close up with the Hippos - Spectacular Footage of the African Landscape | Full Documentary

Africa a vast continent with an abundance of  animals the largest terrestrial mammal on earth   and the fastest predators and home to a  very special big mouth times but also loving the savannas are full of drama  [Music] battles for food for mates and for survival and they are also the sight  of humorous scenes [Music] full of affection there are many different  venues under the African Sun the rivers are not just the  lifeline for the savannas   they also bear witness to the  secret life of the hippopotamus [Music] early morning in the Maasai Mara  National Park in Kenya [Music]   the Savannah becomes busy  even before the sun rises spotted hyenas are still feasting on  the remnants of their nighttime hunt   soon they will withdraw  into their underground dens September time for the annual migration of the  wildebeests from the Serengeti to the Maasai   Mara [Music] they will have to cross the mara  River in order to find new feeding grounds [Music]   the hippos are returning to the River  from grazing in the savannah during   the night they're always on land to feed at night there are very few aquatic plants in the  river for the hippos to feed on they go back   to the water Before Sunrise where they will  spend the entire day submerged in the river their skin is very sensitive and will get cracked  if they're exposed to the hot sun for too long the sun is rising and the wildebeests are  starting their days march today is the most   exciting part of their migration [Music]  [Applause] this hippo is a bit delayed these pudgy colossuses were already known  as River horses hippopotami in ancient times though the barrel-shaped hippos  have very little in common with   the elegant hoofed animals they're named after the late Comer clumsily trudges through the bush   to the river that separates the Maasai  Mara from the Serengeti lions are tensely   awaiting the events of the day when thousands  of wildebeests and zebras will cross the river are gathering on the other side [Music]   while jumps they can spring up to 27 feet  while running from a predator [Music]   during their migration the Bucks are not  Territorial and get along with each other it's all quite relaxed on the  other side of the mara River lions are the only felines  that live in Prides [Music] their teeth are long and sharp like daggers [Music]   the core of the pride consists  of female relatives with their   young the mothers will also hunt together [Music] today is their lucky day their  prey will come to them [Music]   more and more wildebeests are gathering on  the other side of the mara in order to cross all right the elephants are done with  their morning bathing ritual they don't need to bathe in throughout the Savannah there are watering holes   that refill during the night when it  rains enough to drink and play foreign love to play catch with each other in the grass the new grass is also the reason why  the wildebeests leave the Serengeti   cheer for three months at the end  of the rainy season and migrate to   the Maasai Mara to feed thousands of  them have gathered on the riverbank them are the hippos the mara is the only River  in the region that carries water all year round and it's also the greatest obstacle for  the largest animal Migration in the world almost a thousand miles southwards  in Zambia at the luangwa river September is the dry season here [Music]   small rivulets are left of the Great  River a Lifeline for the animals here foreign s to the almost dried out riverbed in the rainy season the rwangwa was full to  overflowing a lush green Paradise [Music]   how it's getting hotter every day the water  level of the river drops lower and lower   and the male elephants are agitated  and when they Clash tensions Run High good [Applause] the elephants are  in the majority so the hippo takes   off hippos can be surprisingly fast on  land up to 19 miles per hour [Music] the elephants with their built-in fans are  better equipped for the heat than the hippos the surface of their large ears through which they  can emit excess body heat amounts to 1 6 of their   body surface dust can also protect against Heat  the hippos can only survive the heat submerged   in water at this time of year temperatures at  the luangwa river can easily exceed 104 degrees   Fahrenheit about 40 000 hippos live along the  river one of the largest populations in Africa   they're spread out far apart from each  other during the rainy season now they   all congregate in the deeper pools of  the river inevitably the Bulls Clash elephants are aware of the hippo's  Incredible strength they will protect   their babies within the middle of their  group if they come across a pod of hippos agitated hippos are known to be among  the most dangerous animals in Africa   their canines and incisors can grow up to 1.6 feet underwater the heaviest mammals are  nearly weightless they're constantly   followed by a squadron of  fishes as they move around African carp they are the cleaning crew  of the hippos [Music] [Applause] [Music]   dental hygiene is an important  part of their morning routine open mouth means please come on in [Music] the  nearly two foot long fish is trustingly swim deep   inside the hippo's throat they clean lips teeth  tongue and gums wherever they find food residue afterwards the fishes scrape algae  and skin pieces from the hippo's body   the large mammals seem to  thoroughly enjoy this spa treatment a different crew cleans above the water surface oxpeckers search for ticks lice and other  insects and they also clean out earwax in addition these sociable Birds  help with scabs foreign [Applause] the problem is that they also like to keep wounds  open so they can continue to pick small pieces   of Flesh off the edges they are parasites  as much as their neatness freaks [Music]   the hippos let them be as long  as they don't get too annoying the continuously shrinking luangwa river is  the only chance for many animals to drink   in this heat a large Buffalo needs to  drink about 13 gallons of water per day crocodiles profit from the density of  animals along the luangwa their prey   will have to come to the river at some point  to drink even a small nibble is always welcome but the Weaver Birds create quite a  spectacle when they come to the water they fly to the river in large flocks   it's almost impossible to grab just one bird  out of this chaotic Mass [Music] therefore each   weaver bird is relatively safe while drinking  as long as they stay within the flock [Music] a fully grown elephant does  not need to fear the reptiles giraffes on the other hand will avoid the  deep pools in the river if at all possible they will try to drink out of the remaining water  puddles because here they are safe from crocodiles   the long neck is ideal for picking the best leaves  out of the tops of trees but not for drinking the giraffes awkwardly spread their long  legs in order to reach down to the water it makes them very vulnerable  so the others stand guard during the dry season herbivores  can only find dried out food but   the cracked Barren dirt is of some  value to the elephants mineral   salts in the soil help prevent the  animals from developing deficiencies this baboon is digging for gold [Music]   while let's wear water bucks can only feed  on the grasses that grow on the surface of   the Arid ground these clever apes are looking  for the nutritious roots and Bulbs underneath many of the plants store nutritious  carbohydrates and also moisture Underground   but it does cost a bit of work even when it's this hot the opposite  Sexes are still interested in each other if they're mate now their offspring will  be born during the Lush rainy season but before they mate the male let way water  Bucks have to conquer a territory [Music]   many animals are now competing  to be close to the water [Music] and only few can protect their  territory for more than a couple of days the young zebra males are also fighting [Music] but they are just practicing  biting each other's necks and   kicking a real fight would look very different oh [Music] [Music]   back at the mara River in  Kenya later in the morning   many thousands of wildebeests have  come together along the riverbank [Music]   they are understandably hesitant  to cross this fateful River as soon as they jump in it's also the  starting signal for others [Music]   the wildebeest know the day embankment is steep and the current is strong  only a few places are suitable for Crossing [Music]   they all take a leap of faith as they jump in  others push from behind which often creates panic wow [Music]   every animal wants to cross  the river as fast as possible but instead of safety they  encounter a pack of lions females hesitation seals her fate the male lion  attacks he immediately pulls the wildebeest down   to the ground the lion's teeth are sunk  deep into her throat the second bite cuts   through the windpipe and the esophagus of  the wildebeest it's dead within moments the others are now underway the Lush  grassland of the Maasai Mara within sight there are still hundreds and thousands   of wildebeests streaming in  from the Serengeti [Music]   almost one and a half million animals will cross  the mara River within the next few days [Music] in addition also about 200 000 zebras  they are nervously drinking and rightly so the hippos are relaxing in  the river only a few feet   away from the tense zebras seemingly unaffected crocodiles don't just lurk in the middle of  the river but also along the shoreline [Music] they're waiting to get hold of an animal  and pull it into the water to drown it [Music] once one of them is caught  the others start running in the hope   that they won't be next [Music] running  within a herd is always safer than alone [Music]   except when two reptiles are encountered  at once Then There Is No Escape unless there is a miracle [Music]   while some run for their lives others take  a nap in the cool water only a few feet away younger hippos have to breathe every two to three  minutes while adults can stay underwater for up   to six minutes this little one is cool and  collected despite the Panic right next to it as long as the mother is around crocodiles  won't dare to come close to a hippo baby [Music] it's midday now the sun sits high in the sky  the young hippos come out onto the sandbank   while the adults are still in the water do young hippos get cold more quickly  in the water and therefore have to warm   up outside in the midday Sun it was long  believed that hippos were related to pigs   but then genetic analysis showed that their  closest relatives also live in the water   Wales and they certainly have similarities  both have virtually no hair on their bodies and more importantly both can  communicate underwater via infrasound   even though hippos are not streamlined and  efficient swimmers like their ocean-going cousins   hippos spend part of their day on land [Music] often mothers and babies of the same  age congregate so that the young are   better protected and they can play  together in their hippo kindergarten it's getting tight on the sandbank [Applause] the lions are also taking a nap these large felines are known to be  lazy they will spend 12 to 16 hours   of the day sleeping or dozing in the  shade sometimes even up to 20 hours as carnivores they can afford to doze  vegetarians like the giraffes have to   spend a lot more time and effort feeding to get  the proper nutrition meat is more nutritious so   the carnivores can rest after they feed and also  save their strength for their next nighttime hunt   these young giraffe Bulls are not  looking for food at the moment [Music] they are training to use their  necks and heads as weapons [Music] they hit each other in  their sides with their heads because they're horn-like  ossicones leave painful marks they move their heads rhythmically  back and forth bend their necks and   hit each other it's not serious yet because  these groups of Bachelors are still young   and only practicing [Music] adult male  giraffes will fiercely fight each other   with all of their might especially  during The Mating Season thank you but most often their fights don't  have any serious consequences once the combatants have figured out which  one is stronger the defeated male withdraws   but sometimes they do knock each  other out and one of the males will   be left lying on the ground unconscious these  youngsters are still only practicing [Music]   after a good long nap the Lions  also become active again [Music]   first she purrs then she growls and  then she even bites and hits him [Music] lionesses who don't have Cubs to  care for will be on heat several   times a year these phases are very  stressful for everybody involved   after meeting she will roll on her  back to collect her strength [Music] and he does the same they will copulate many more times the lion couple will need a lot  of stamina in order to procreate [Music] shows him that she  is ready to go again [Music]   and he joins in [Music] let's go [Music] first purring and then growling and so it goes on every 15 minutes  up to 40 times a day and often up   to five days at a time for every  lion cub that survives the first   year of its life the parents had  to mate about three thousand times back to Zambia and the wangwa river at 140 degrees Fahrenheit the hippos stay  submerged in the water throughout the day   mothers and babies have a strong bond to  shape that Bond the mothers will not allow   any other hippos near their babies  for the first two weeks after birth afterwards they will fully rejoin the Pod again the baby often rests on the  mother's back during nap time this way it doesn't have to worry about  surfacing every few minutes in order to breathe   the young hippo has a lot to learn [Music] for example that fishes are interested in  feeding on its dung the hippo's excretions are   very nutritious and therefore fishes are always  hanging around waiting for the next movement not far from the hippo pool another Nursery after  three months the crocodile babies are finally   hatching from their eggs the mother has hidden  The Nest underneath a mound of plant remains once they're fully developed inside  their eggs the baby Crocs begin to chirp as if On Cue they all hatch at the same time these chirps are also heard outside the nest a large mouth full of teeth  is already waiting for them it grabs the babies one by one and gently sets them in the water where they're  safe and protected by their loving mother they will soon catch their  first meal all by themselves back at the hippo pool a large ball is agitated  normally every ball occupies a territory of about   300 feet of river together with his harim of  10 to 15 females and their offspring [Music]   now during the dry season everybody has to  move closer together and that causes agitation   among the balls [Music] aggression towards  each other will come out of nowhere [Music]   and once two balls start to fight [Music]   the entire pod feels uneasy the balls threatening yawns are meant to persuade  the opponent to withdraw of his own accord   if that doesn't work they will fight [Music]   which can end in death but not  only because of their large teeth [Music] after all they can weigh up to six thousand  pounds and that weight will prove deadly for   younger hippos that get in the way of the  ball's aggressive pursuit of each other it's easy for a younger animal to  get run over and drown in the process or get trampled to death [Music] this little hippo was in the wrong  place at the wrong time [Music]   it was trampled to death by its own kind the desperate mother is pushing it with  her snout trying to wake up her baby but her gentle attempts at  resuscitation are in vain [Music]   will take days for her to grasp that she cannot  revive the lifeless body of her little one [Music]   there has also been a death at  the mara River in Kenya [Music]   usually crocodiles and hippos live  next to each other peacefully a hippo   is certainly able to bite a nine-foot  crocodile in half with its giant Jaws nevertheless the reptiles  have managed to kill a baby this mother also hasn't left her  lifeless baby's side the cadaver is   almost intact and is already bloated  and floating on the surface [Music]   crocodiles usually wait to feed  until their prey is starting to decay   they can hold on to pray with their strong  teeth but they can't bite anything off once the cadavers Decay it's easier for the  Crocs to tear out bite-sized pieces [Applause]   which they then swallow whole [Music]   finally arrived on the Lush  pastures of the Maasai Mara Savannah   and are able to spread out in this broad expanse  they will stay and graze for two to three months   before they go back across the mara River  and head to where they came from wildebeest   do not have to fear crocodiles here but other  predators are already observing the herds [Music] the cheetah is still waiting for the right moment foreign speed and surprise [Music] with only a couple of leaps the cheetah reaches a  speed of 62 miles per hour within seconds [Music]   about half of the cheetah's predatory attempts are   successful there's no other solitary  Hunter with a better success rate but this time the cheetah picked the wrong   prey the fully grown wildebeest  turns the tables on the big cat this high-speed Sprint the cheetah needs to  take a break otherwise it will risk overheating the herd is on high alert now and  needs to settle down again anyway [Music] before the fast feline  can launch another attack the cheetah is finally successful  with this young wildebeest it runs into the wildebeest's legs so that  the animal loses its balance and topples over Peter chokes the wildebeest  to death with its teeth the peak hunting season for the big cats starts  once the large herds arrive only the hoofed   animals migrate following seasonal changes the  big cats stay in their territory which means that   their feast is not always this plentiful Lions  can devour up to 66 pounds of meat in one meal   but once their berries are full and prey is  plentiful they leave their leftovers to others the vultures profit from this slaughtering the  step once they spot a cadaver they gobble up   all they can while constantly warding off  the competition the birds make quick work   of the cadaver it only takes them  half an hour to devour most of it some vulture species have a bald  neck which enables them to reach   far into the cadaver and feast on its insides most often there are several different species  of vultures working on a cadaver together the large Nubian vulture with its  red head is the only vulture that   can crack open a cadaver with its large beak the white back vultures and ripples  vultures also profit from that they   all consume more meat than the lions hyenas  and cheetahs combined luckily so otherwise   the entire step will be covered with decaying  animals reading grounds for disease foreign helps with the cleanup its bald neck indicates  that the bird is also a scavenger [Music]   the lazy Lions have a lot  of time for their families [Music]   the juveniles play with each other and the adults also like to join in the lion females all join together in  raising The Offspring of the pride [Music] the same goes for the elephants all  females help to look after the babies after all there's a lot to learn   starting with the trunk it's not just the nose  but also a giant straw breathing and swallowing   have to be carefully coordinated and for some  it's just easier to kneel down while drinking it takes a while until young elephants are able  to control the long-swinging tube that consists   of one hundred thousand small muscles but then  it also becomes a multitasking instrument used   to soothe others and also for making loud music  [Music] the lion cubs also have to learn [Music]   to learn that a dead ostrich not only  delivers good meat and a beautiful headdress but also makes a great practice tool the  Young Lions are still too small to hunt   with the pride but while roughhousing with  each other they learn to sneak up to dash   in and firmly grab hold of their prey the  correct sequence of movements for killing [Music]   foreign they will be nursed until they are six  months old after that they will be weaned and   join the adults for their first hunt it will  take another one and a half to two years until   they have learned all the tricks and  become successful Hunters themselves still time enough to practice with ostrich   feathers and enjoy the good  months in the Maasai Mara [Music] thank you it will not always  be this Lush and green here [Music] and the Carefree days of the little  cubs will come to an end [Music]   the baby elephants at the luangwa river in  Zambia on the other hand are going through   more trying times 104 degrees Fahrenheit and very  little water this mud bath must feel refreshing unless you get stuck [Music] luckily the mother is   there to help pull the little elephant  out of the mud with her trunk [Music] the hippos are also wallowing in the mud the elephants are only looking to cover themselves   with a protective shield of  mud from the scorching Sun whereas most hippos spend the entire  day in the former Watering Hole which is now turned into a smelly puddle because every hippo drops several buckets  of dung into the mud pool throughout the day the hippos have trampled an exit ramp  into the Steep embankment everything   thanks to a thick layer of mud covering  their skin they are now leaving the   protection of the water during the day so they  can search for food in the dried out Woodlands   the bull is also leaving the pool  the water is thick with mud [Music] he has to heave his six thousand pounds up  the embankment on his stubby little eggs found the dried out luangwa  there are a few green spots   these sidearms were cut off from the  river and are now shallow lagoons [Music]   full of aquatic plants without  any current to pull them away   the lagoons are filled with nutrition  once well fertilized with hippo dung every adult hippo excretes about 44 pounds of  dung per day and fertilizes Africa's Rivers   not only aquatic plants profit from the  nutrition-filled hippo dung but also   fishes and insects and that's what these ibises  are poking around for while using the hippo's   backs as stepping stones [Music] the hippos  also profit from their well-fertilized pools   during the dry season the Hungry Hippos  will come here in the day [Music] normally they would mow down the step with  their enormous mouths at night but now they   are loudly slurping this green soup consisting  of duckweed and water cabbage during the day the elephants with their long multitasking  implements are more elegant eaters they   carefully choose what's delectable and what isn't and also clean the hippo  dung off first before eating   the hippos on the other hand are not quite as  choosy they feed on 88 pounds of greens per day at a body weight of four thousand to six  thousand pounds this is not a lot of food   the hippo's stomachs have several Chambers  filled with bacteria that help with digestion   and the intestinal tract is almost 200 feet long  which absorbs a lot of nutrition into the body   hippos are excellent feed converters and  therefore can afford to lazily doze around   in the water all day long the elephant  is now also cooling off in the green pool an African elephant on average weighs 11   000 pounds compared with the hippo the elephant  needs a lot more food about 380 pounds per day elephants only have one stomach and the  intestinal tract is only about a hundred feet long the majority of food will leave the elephant's  body almost undigested therefore the elephant has   to feed and feed and feed between 16 and 20 hours  per day it's late afternoon at the mara River young hippo balls are jostling with each other  thank you and are called to order by the lead bull of course the teenagers won't listen and continue [Music]   until the old ball finally breaks them up the two young males are not  fully grown but are already   sexually mature at the age of six to eight years it's time to chase away  potential competitors [Music] they will find their own territory  on another stretch of the mara River   after the banishment a balancing  act with a lot of weight [Music]   the ball keeps sliding off the  back of the female during mating thank you he often pushes her completely  underwater until it finally works it will take eight months until the baby is born dusk settles over the step  of the Maasai Mara in Kenya nighttime is also rapidly approaching  in Zambia at the luangwa river [Music]   the temperature is finally dropping [Music]   for the hippos during the day they live together  in groups but at night they go off on their own   they will wander up to 32 miles in search of  food and graze with their wide mouths [Music]   unfortunately the Savannah has already been  grazed clean during the dry season so some   hippos resort to a sort of recycling feeding  of the droppings of some of their fellow hippos the dung still contains important nutrients  desperate times call for desperate measures   and what's wrong with digesting another's  meal for a second time around [Music]   the green lagoons are also busy at night massive hippos slurp up tiny  duckweeds in order to be sated [Music]   young hippo doesn't seem to Fear The large  crocodile has it already learned that the reptiles   are not as mobile during the cool night as they  are during the day when the sun is out [Music] Dawn over Africa [Music]   at the First Sunlight the heavyweights return  to the remaining water pools along the luangwa   river [Music] and after a night grazing on land  the hippos become River horses again [Music]

Channel: Free High-Quality Documentaries

Views: 169,270

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Id: pL3RakTl_hc

Length: 50min 32sec (3032 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 23 2023