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Hippo vs Rhino
- Thread starter Ban
- Start date
It was just a fairly innocuous non-partisan joke. But you're right, I'll refrain.
- Thread starter
- #23
The study of hippos and rhinos requires multi-disciplinary approaches. It is a very difficult field to be sure.
- Thread starter
- #24
Five years later I am glad to reflect on past Ban and know that he made the correct choice on this matter of utmost importance. Hippo is winning this.
I am less enthused by past Ban's disregard for proofreading his comments.
I am less enthused by past Ban's disregard for proofreading his comments.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
After much debate, I think we can finally put this issue to rest. It was a tough call.
for the win.
for the win.
Finchbearer
Istar
This is an old and outdated thread with an irrelevant and frankly trite subject matter in discussion. So with that being said, I think we can all agree that this superfluous topic requires further investigation and full consideration of all known facts.
Hippo, binomial name; Hippopotamus amphibius, belonging to the Hippopotamidae family are native primarily to sub-Saharan Africa and inhabit aquatic areas of land, mostly spending their time dwelling in and near bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. They are large, mostly herbivorous mammals that employ the use of water and mud to protect themselves from the sun.
Despite being semi-aquatic, hippos are not known to be good swimmers and instead use buoyancy to either walk or bounce along the bed of the lake or river in which they spend the vast majority of their time.
This is why many people may consider hippos to be cumbersome, lumbering or even docile animals by way of how they move slowly through the water, however, this is also why they have the fearsome reputation of being one of the deadliest animals throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with estimates being anywhere from several hundred to thousands of deaths every year caused by the animal where people may have gone to bathe or collect water or themselves.
Hippos can also use the water to their advantage by using it to conceal their large bodies with only their by comparison small snout and ears, barely visible above the water. They are extremely territorial, especially around their young and usually make their kills by using their enormous and powerful jaws [1].
Another sub-species of hippo currently in existence is the pygmy hippopotamus, binomial name, Choeropsis liberiensis, a small hippopotamid, native to the forests and swamplands of West Africa.
Let’s take a look at the rhino by comparison.
There are five species of rhino currently in existence within the family of Rhinoceroteridae that comprises firstly of the White Rhinoceros, scientific name, Ceratotherium simum. This is the largest species of rhino that inhabits the grasslands and savannas of southern and eastern Africa.
Black Rhinoceros, binomial name, Diceros bicornis, also native to Africa is found in more varied environments that include grasslands, savannas, and even woodlands.
Indian Rhinoceros, binomial name, Rhinoceros unicornis [2], native to India and Nepal. This rhino inhabits grasslands, swamps, forests in the foothills of the Himalayas and floodplain areas along rivers.
Javan Rhinoceros, binomial name, Rhinoceros sondaicus. The Javan rhinoceros is one of the most critically endangered large mammals in the world, with only a small population remaining in Indonesia in the wild. Its natural habitat is in tropical forests and lowland swamp areas of the islands Java and Sumatra.
Sumatran Rhinoceros, binomial name, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. Just like the Javan rhinoceros, the Sumatran rhinoceros is also has the status of being critically endangered, with a population restricted to fragmented habitats in Indonesia and Malaysia. Its natural habitat is dense tropical rainforests and hilly terrain, as well as swamp areas and forests found on the island of Sumatra.
Rhinos, like hippos are also large mostly herbivorous mammals found in Africa, with the exception of also inhabiting areas of Asia, which hippos do not. They are known for their horn [3], and thick protective skin, although compared to hippos, rhinos are not as aggressive and are unlikely to attack unless provoked, avoiding confrontations where possible. If a rhino should attack, they employ the use of their horns, that can cause severe injury or even death depending on where the horn has hit the target. Trampling or charging may also be the type of confrontational behaviour that a rhino may use if specifically threatened or provoked.
It may be beneficial to take a look at the prehistoric relatives of both animals in order to ascertain a well rounded answer to this complex question that ban has proposed.
A prehistoric ancestor of the hippo is Hexaprotodon, a large, semi-aquatic mammal that lived during the Pleistocene epoch in modern day Africa, Asia and even Europe. This species was far smaller than modern hippopotamuses, with some individuals estimated to be about the size of a domestic pig [4]. The teeth found on skulls of Hexaprotodon [5] have found to be longer and more pronounced than that of their modern day relative, that could potentially have delivered an equally deadly bite, though with the animal being much smaller and weighing far less, the force of the bite would have been less effective than its modern day relative.
A prehistoric ancestor of the rhino is Stephanorhinus. This genus of rhino lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene epoch and was similar in size to modern rhinos along with possessing two horns. It had a more robust build and different dental structure compared to living rhinoceroses. This animal may have been more territorial or openly aggressive or may have been more similar to modern day rhino’s in behaviour, however this animal may have been stronger and with not one but two horns could have been formidable when provoked or defending itself.
Now to the question that has been proposed, utilising all of the data collected; hippo VS rhino, who would hypothetically win in a head to head fight?
We must consider that this would be a highly unlikely event to occur in real life, with both animals living in different parts of the world and in different habitats, never mind the ethical and moral implications of making two large and endangered species of animal fight one another.
However for the sake of hypotheticals, we should firstly consider the size and weight of each animal:
The largest of each animal would be the male sex of each, with the male Hippopotamus amphibius weighing up to 3,300 to 7,000 pounds and measuring up to 3.5 to 5 metres from head to tail.
The largest species of rhino is the white rhino, or Ceratotherium simum, and weighs up to 4,000 to 5,000 pounds, and measures up to 3.7 to 4 metres in length from head to tail.
So we have our two contendants. Next we must consider how they would be induced to fight. It would be likely, given the hippo’s aggressive and territorial nature that it would be the first to initiate the fight. The rhino would be more responsive by the provocation, and this is how the fight would commence. The hippo would probably try to strike first, but the rhino’s thick skin may well bear the brunt of enough force trauma from the hippo’s bite to make its own strike using its formidable horn. The hippo also has thick skin but is not as thick as a rhino’s and therefore may struggle to sustain a traumatic blow from the charge of the rhino’s horn. Both may fight until one or the other has established dominance, as with many male mammals, this may be the deciding factor in who ‘wins’ the fight.
However, we must also take into consideration the nature of each beast, with the hippo being more openly aggressive and persistent until it has warded off the perceived threat, and so the hippo could logically speaking be more likely to win.
However, could we assume that with the rhino’s non confrontational nature, that it could considered the more noble beast of the two.
Hippo, binomial name; Hippopotamus amphibius, belonging to the Hippopotamidae family are native primarily to sub-Saharan Africa and inhabit aquatic areas of land, mostly spending their time dwelling in and near bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. They are large, mostly herbivorous mammals that employ the use of water and mud to protect themselves from the sun.
Despite being semi-aquatic, hippos are not known to be good swimmers and instead use buoyancy to either walk or bounce along the bed of the lake or river in which they spend the vast majority of their time.
This is why many people may consider hippos to be cumbersome, lumbering or even docile animals by way of how they move slowly through the water, however, this is also why they have the fearsome reputation of being one of the deadliest animals throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with estimates being anywhere from several hundred to thousands of deaths every year caused by the animal where people may have gone to bathe or collect water or themselves.
Hippos can also use the water to their advantage by using it to conceal their large bodies with only their by comparison small snout and ears, barely visible above the water. They are extremely territorial, especially around their young and usually make their kills by using their enormous and powerful jaws [1].
Another sub-species of hippo currently in existence is the pygmy hippopotamus, binomial name, Choeropsis liberiensis, a small hippopotamid, native to the forests and swamplands of West Africa.
Let’s take a look at the rhino by comparison.
There are five species of rhino currently in existence within the family of Rhinoceroteridae that comprises firstly of the White Rhinoceros, scientific name, Ceratotherium simum. This is the largest species of rhino that inhabits the grasslands and savannas of southern and eastern Africa.
Black Rhinoceros, binomial name, Diceros bicornis, also native to Africa is found in more varied environments that include grasslands, savannas, and even woodlands.
Indian Rhinoceros, binomial name, Rhinoceros unicornis [2], native to India and Nepal. This rhino inhabits grasslands, swamps, forests in the foothills of the Himalayas and floodplain areas along rivers.
Javan Rhinoceros, binomial name, Rhinoceros sondaicus. The Javan rhinoceros is one of the most critically endangered large mammals in the world, with only a small population remaining in Indonesia in the wild. Its natural habitat is in tropical forests and lowland swamp areas of the islands Java and Sumatra.
Sumatran Rhinoceros, binomial name, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. Just like the Javan rhinoceros, the Sumatran rhinoceros is also has the status of being critically endangered, with a population restricted to fragmented habitats in Indonesia and Malaysia. Its natural habitat is dense tropical rainforests and hilly terrain, as well as swamp areas and forests found on the island of Sumatra.
Rhinos, like hippos are also large mostly herbivorous mammals found in Africa, with the exception of also inhabiting areas of Asia, which hippos do not. They are known for their horn [3], and thick protective skin, although compared to hippos, rhinos are not as aggressive and are unlikely to attack unless provoked, avoiding confrontations where possible. If a rhino should attack, they employ the use of their horns, that can cause severe injury or even death depending on where the horn has hit the target. Trampling or charging may also be the type of confrontational behaviour that a rhino may use if specifically threatened or provoked.
It may be beneficial to take a look at the prehistoric relatives of both animals in order to ascertain a well rounded answer to this complex question that ban has proposed.
A prehistoric ancestor of the hippo is Hexaprotodon, a large, semi-aquatic mammal that lived during the Pleistocene epoch in modern day Africa, Asia and even Europe. This species was far smaller than modern hippopotamuses, with some individuals estimated to be about the size of a domestic pig [4]. The teeth found on skulls of Hexaprotodon [5] have found to be longer and more pronounced than that of their modern day relative, that could potentially have delivered an equally deadly bite, though with the animal being much smaller and weighing far less, the force of the bite would have been less effective than its modern day relative.
A prehistoric ancestor of the rhino is Stephanorhinus. This genus of rhino lived in Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene epoch and was similar in size to modern rhinos along with possessing two horns. It had a more robust build and different dental structure compared to living rhinoceroses. This animal may have been more territorial or openly aggressive or may have been more similar to modern day rhino’s in behaviour, however this animal may have been stronger and with not one but two horns could have been formidable when provoked or defending itself.
Now to the question that has been proposed, utilising all of the data collected; hippo VS rhino, who would hypothetically win in a head to head fight?
We must consider that this would be a highly unlikely event to occur in real life, with both animals living in different parts of the world and in different habitats, never mind the ethical and moral implications of making two large and endangered species of animal fight one another.
However for the sake of hypotheticals, we should firstly consider the size and weight of each animal:
The largest of each animal would be the male sex of each, with the male Hippopotamus amphibius weighing up to 3,300 to 7,000 pounds and measuring up to 3.5 to 5 metres from head to tail.
The largest species of rhino is the white rhino, or Ceratotherium simum, and weighs up to 4,000 to 5,000 pounds, and measures up to 3.7 to 4 metres in length from head to tail.
So we have our two contendants. Next we must consider how they would be induced to fight. It would be likely, given the hippo’s aggressive and territorial nature that it would be the first to initiate the fight. The rhino would be more responsive by the provocation, and this is how the fight would commence. The hippo would probably try to strike first, but the rhino’s thick skin may well bear the brunt of enough force trauma from the hippo’s bite to make its own strike using its formidable horn. The hippo also has thick skin but is not as thick as a rhino’s and therefore may struggle to sustain a traumatic blow from the charge of the rhino’s horn. Both may fight until one or the other has established dominance, as with many male mammals, this may be the deciding factor in who ‘wins’ the fight.
However, we must also take into consideration the nature of each beast, with the hippo being more openly aggressive and persistent until it has warded off the perceived threat, and so the hippo could logically speaking be more likely to win.
However, could we assume that with the rhino’s non confrontational nature, that it could considered the more noble beast of the two.
- The bite force of an adult hippopotamus can range anywhere from 1,100 to 1,800 pounds per square inch (psi).
- Rhinoceros unicornis does indeed elude to the mythical creature known as the unicorn, meaning ‘one horned creature’. In this instance it also has the coincidentally sad connection to the critically endangered status of this particular species of rhino.
- The horn or horns of a rhino comprises of keratin rather than bone, and are softer than they appear. The animals use their horns for mating, territorial behaviour and digging for food.
- Hexaprotodon typically weighed around 440 to 1,100 pounds, compared to 3,300 to 7,000 pounds that a modern day hippo weighs.
- Hexaprotodon in Latin means ‘six front teeth’.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
^ all of that too...
Hippo
Hmmm...probably Birkenstocks, but I'm open. (I dont think I have ever worn either).
Hippo
Hmmm...probably Birkenstocks, but I'm open. (I dont think I have ever worn either).
- Thread starter
- #28
"However, could we assume that with the rhino’s non confrontational nature, that it could considered the more noble beast of the two."
Moral consolation prizes are meaningless in the face of Hippopotamus might.
As for the shoes, I am lukewarm as can be. Crocs at least have some sass so I will go with those. Flip flops would eviscerate both.
Moral consolation prizes are meaningless in the face of Hippopotamus might.
As for the shoes, I am lukewarm as can be. Crocs at least have some sass so I will go with those. Flip flops would eviscerate both.
Finchbearer
Istar
Flip flops can go into the burning fires of helle 
pmmg
Myth Weaver
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Finchbearer
Istar
Although, if you had the prehistoric contenders fight one another, then I would think the clear winner would be the rhino’s ancestor, Stephanorhinus, against the pig-sized Hexaprotodon.
The OP didn’t specify a time period.
The OP didn’t specify a time period.
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pmmg
Myth Weaver
I know a forum game that can solve this....
- Thread starter
- #33
Flip flops are confident enough to only rely on two toes to stay on one's feet. They are the footwear of the brave. You, alas, are not worthy of the flip flop.Flip flops can go into the burning fires of helle
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Flip flops are good when there is just nothing left to wear, and even then, I might prefer going barefoot.
Boo
Much better
Boo Much better- Thread starter
- #35
I present you beach sand in the heat of summer.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
And I present beach sand as a good reason not to go to the beach.
- Thread starter
- #37
More beach for me and my flip flops.
Finchbearer
Istar
Flips flops were not part of the equation! That’s like coming in and saying never mind hippos and rhinos, here’s a python!
Of course the answer is Birkenstocks. They combine fashion and function. Although for gardening crocs are great.
Of course the answer is Birkenstocks. They combine fashion and function. Although for gardening crocs are great.
- Thread starter
- #39
Well no, because the python would be stomped by both with ease. An elephant would be a more apt comparison, for it is mighty like the flip flop.
Archmage