Another delight of this trip to Botswana was watching hippos watching us! These critters kept us awake at night with their vocalizations, left piles of poop in the pathways for us to step over in the morning, roared at us when we came close and everywhere we went kept an eye on us.
Even the smallest of watering holes or ponds seemed to have one or more of these massive beasts in residence. To see them out of the water might be akin to seeing a car parked in your kitchen—both the size and presence seemingly impossible!
Keeping an eye on me.
Always alert.
Immense!
Just under this sheen of water is a hippo.
A standoff between the thirsty wild dogs and the hippo defending his “turf.”
The pathways the hippos create, both into the water and walking on land, are formidable.
A lot of hippo “talk” seems mostly posturing, quite effective nonetheless!
Cattle egrets are frequent companions perched on the hippo’s back.
“I see you!”
“We all see you!!”
Still Learning To See 
Oh my stars and garters, as my Granny would say! These are incredible pictures–especially considering that: “The hippo is extremely unpredictable, making it the most dangerous mammal in Africa.” (National Geographic). So glad you could get these amazing shots and not be attacked, whew 🙂
Perfect selections John. Hippos made me chuckle the whole trip with you and friends, but that was just my tendency to anthropomorphize them. You are right Julia, they are very big wild animals intent on staying alive. Marti Snell
what a fine display of hippo photos.
Great photos of these terrific animals.