Watch the first confirmed video of what could be hippos grieving
June 20, 2019 - A biologist in Chobe National Park, Botswana, recently came upon a sight she had not seen before. The carcass of a juvenile hippopotamus was floating in a pond with its presumed mother swimming around it. It is uncertain how the calf died, but it may have been killed by a Nile crocodile or a male hippo. For 11 hours the distressed female tried to keep the carcass afloat while chasing away Nile crocodiles. This event led to the first published research paper of hippos possibly mourning their dead. When animals care for sick or dead individuals, it's called epimeletic behavior. Epimeletic behavior has been documented in great apes, elephants, orcas, and other species. Other possible explanations for the behavior include corpse protection or curiosity toward the dead body. But neither of these explanations would necessarily exclude the idea that hippos might feel some form of grief.
Transcript
A biologist in Chobe National Park, Botswana, recently came upon a sight she had not seen before.
The carcass of a juvenile hippopotamus was floating in a pond with its presumed mother swimming around it.
It is uncertain how the calf died, but it may have been killed by a Nile crocodile or a male hippo.
For 11 hours the distressed female tried to keep the carcass afloat while chasing away Nile crocodiles.
This event led to the first published research paper of hippos possibly mourning their dead.
When animals care for sick or dead individuals, it's called epimeletic behavior.
Epimeletic behavior has been documented in great apes, elephants, orcas, and other species.
Other possible explanations for the behavior include corpse protection or curiosity toward the dead body.
But neither of these explanations would necessarily exclude the idea that hippos might feel some form of grief.
