Alpha Bull Hippo’s Ruthless Move Unveils Dark Secrets Behind Savannah’s Deadliest Power Struggle
Ever wondered what it takes to claim the crown in the wild kingdom of hippos? Well, spoiler alert: it’s brutal. This bull hippo right here? He’s just snatched the alpha spot, and that means any little kiddos sired by the previous boss are outta luck—literally. You see, the new king won’t tolerate any freeloaders messing with his legacy or his chances of expanding his own brood. It’s a twisted mix of biology and survival instinct—moms can’t be divided between caring for old offspring and making new ones with the new alpha, and hey, resources aren’t exactly throwing themselves around for free. Sometimes, it’s even the moms who take drastic action when times get tough. This grim but fascinating ritual, known as infanticide, isn’t just a hippo thing—lions, dolphins, baboons, and a bunch of others have also been caught playing this ruthless game. Curious to dig deeper into Mother Nature’s darker strategies? LEARN MORE.
“This bull hippo has presumably just taken over the herd, so that means any offspring fathered by the former alpha must die.
There are 2 reasons this happens:
When a mother hippo has a child, she has to take care of that child – which means she won’t be having any new children with the new alpha, and that is not gonna fly with him.
To the winner go the spoils, as they say.
The other reason is, this child carries the genes of the former lead bull, and the new one isn’t going to let his bloodline continue – let alone share resources with another child not of his ilk.
Sometimes, this is done by the mothers as well, when resources (like water) are super scarce and they can’t afford to share, they will kill off their dependents.
This practice, known as infanticide, is a mechanism employed by a wide array of mammals.
Lions, dolphins, baboons, bears, prairie dogs, meerkats, chimpanzees and otters are just some of the animals who have been observed doing this.” – via natureismetal
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