Shark swims into hippo horde, realises it’s made a horrible mistake

Sharks might get a bad rap, but it's hippos who are some of the most dangerous animals on Earth. It's pretty clear to see who's the boss in this rarely seen interaction!

Filmed in South Africa's iSimangaliso Wetland Park by tour operator Stacey Farrell, the clip shows the moment a bull shark, or Zambezi shark (Carcharhinus leucas), swims right into a horde of hippos.

These supersized animals aren't exactly picky about where they drop their waste, so they often attract congregations of hungry fish. "It would be the best place for the shark to be looking for a snack," explains Farrell. "The water was very muddy and the shark started bumping into the hippo, which caused them to start attacking [it]. The shark was much faster and managed to get away at the last second."

Unlike most shark species, bull sharks can adjust their biological processes to increase salt retention in fresh or brackish waters. It's not that unusual to spot them upstream (just look at this croc vs. shark encounter), but we've never seen this behaviour in action.

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Top header image: Arno Meintjes/Flickr