Hippopotamuses kill more human beings annually in Africa than lions, leopards, crocodiles, or any other terrifying predator you grew up watching on nature documentaries.

A closer look

Hippopotamuses kill more human beings annually in Africa than lions, leopards, crocodiles, or any other terrifying predator you grew up watching on nature documentaries. Despite looking like bloated, lethargic water sausages that just want to float around and eat cabbage, hippos are notoriously aggressive and can sprint at speeds up to thirty kilometers per hour on land. Tourists constantly make the fatal error of assuming these giant herbivores are friendly, only to discover that a hippo will snap a canoe in half out of pure spite. They are essentially highly territorial tanks with terrible tempers and teeth the size of bowling pins, making them the ultimate reality check for overly confident safari goers who think they have a special spiritual connection with wildlife just because they own a golden retriever back home