Lukim Datfala Maeti Hippo!

FROM MAN FOR RAET FOR WEKAP! LONG KENYA

EVENING sun hem shaen long datfala big pool wea stap long Masai Mara Game Reserve long Kenya. Taem sun hem gogo daon, hem mekem wata hem kala olsem gold. No farawe, olketa zebra and wildebeest (gnu) wakabaot isisi kam long datfala pool. Seknomoa olketa animal hia standap kwaet witim fraet, eye bilong olketa lukluk long wanfala big samting wea luk olsem maeti ston wea float saed long datfala pool. Bihaen hem mekem wata gagi olabaot, datfala “maeti ston” hem sink go daon andanit wata. Samting wea olketa zebra and wildebeest lukim hem wanfala raf animal wea stap long wata—datfala hippopotamus.

Hippo hem savve stap long olketa pool, river, and lake long east Africa and animal wea big winim hem nomoa, hem nao elephant. Taem hem full-grown, hippo savve long winim 4 meter and hae from graon kasem shoulder hem 1.5 meter. Hevi bilong hem samting olsem foa ton. Planti ting hao datfala word “Behemoth” wea stap long Bible buk bilong Job hem minim datfala hippopotamus. Iumi no sapraes hao Bible hem sei disfala maeti animal garem olketa bone wea olsem “copper pipe,” and hem sei olketa “olsem iron stik.”—Job 40:15-18.

Sapos olketa mekem wanfala test saed long wei for luk naes, datfala hippo wea body bilong hem raon, wea garem thikfala skin, no garem eni hair, and wea luk olsem hem nating savve wakabaot gud, bae hard for win. Hippo hem garem short leg, wea mekem iumi ting hao nao olketa leg hia fit for karem datfala maeti body. Bat no daotem paoa bilong olketa shortfala strong leg hia. Long land, hippo savve ran fast winim man. Insaed wata hem savve swim fast winim kanu wea man padolem or maet kanu wea garem engine.

Laef Bilong Olketa Long Wata

Hippo hem animal wea laek stap tugeta. Planti taem samting olsem 10 go kasem 15 nao stap insaed wanfala grup wea wanfala man wan nao leadim, bat samfala sei olketa lukim olketa bigfala grup wea samting olsem 150 nao insaed. Olketa Hippo savve stap long land and wata and olketa only kamaot from wata—staka taem diswan long naet—for kaikaim olketa leaf wea stap saed long wata. Klosap evritaem, olketa no savve laek go farawe from wata. Bat, long drae season samfala hippo wakabaot for samting olsem 10 kilometer for faendem kaikai.

No eniwan really savve hao nao olketa hippo markem area bilong olketa. Wanfala fasin bilong hem wea mekem man sapraes hem nao wei wea hem iusim tail bilong hem for flaem siti bilong hem olabaot. Samfala ting diswan hem wei for trae hard for switim mere wan or for mekem nara man wan, wea kam for trae hard tu, for fraet. Sapos eni samting attakim olketa, olketa savve mekem saond olsem wanfala horse, and taem olketa faet olketa savve singaot big. Nomata hem andanit long wata man savve herem olketa laodfala saond wea hem savve mekem. Hem klia hu nao datfala man wan wea leadim olketa from hem mekem kaen saond olsem MUH-Muh-muh.

For klosap full day datfala hippo maet float antap wata or stap andanit wata, and bigfala body bilong hem barava fitim diswan. Nomata hem no barava savve swim gud olsem olketa nara kaen animal wea savve stap insaed and aotsaed long wata, hippo savve stap andanit wata for samting olsem 15 minute! Nose, olketa eye, and ear olketa stap long sem level nomoa, diswan mekem hippo fit for haedem nara part long body bilong hem andanit wata. Andanit long wata olketa hippo savve duim planti samting—insaed diswan hem wei for faendem partner and mekem pikinini.

Bihaen hem babule for eit month, hem bornem wanfala pikinini nomoa insaed wata wea no deep tumas. Hem savve susum baby hia long land or ples wea wata no deep. Nomata hem strong, datfala hippo savve lukaftarem gud pikinini bilong hem long wei wea showimaot hem barava kea. Tru nao, hem wanfala spesol samting for lukim wanfala mami taem hem float long wata witim pikinini bilong hem antap long baksaed bilong hem. Nomata olsem, disfala animal wea maet luk olsem hem kaen fogud bae barava faet againstim eniwan wea trae for tekem aot baby from baksaed bilong hem!

Skin bilong hippo hem barava fitim wei for stap long wata. Skin bilong hem barava change taem hem stap long land. Samting long body bilong hem savve mekem skin garem wankaen wata wea red kala and garem staka salt insaed. Sapos man luk farawe long hem, swet bilong hem luk olsem blood. Bat, disfala wata hem protectim skin insaed wata and long land. Long olketa community bifor long Africa, olketa savve katem skin bilong hippo and sokem long oil. Then olketa twistim and draem olketa longfala pis skin hia for mekem wanfala nogud whip wea olketa iusim taem olketa faet abaotem land.a Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia hem sei bihaen olketa wakem diswan—wea go ahed for samting olsem six year—datfala skin bilong hippo “hem strong olsem ston and thik bilong hem samting olsem foa and haf centimeter.”

Spesol Mouth wea Man Fit for Fraetem

Hem isi for lukim mouth bilong hippo. Long land animal hia iusim lips bilong hem wea haf-meter-waed for kaikaim grass saed wata. Bat, hem no iusim mouth for kaikai nomoa. Taem hippo openem mouth bilong hem barava big, hem no duim diswan for tek wind nomoa bat hem for showimaot warning. From area wea olketa stap hem kakamap moa smol, olketa hippo savve faet midolwan olketa seleva for protectim area bilong olketa. Taem hem openem mouth bilong hem diswan showimaot olketa bigfala sharp teeth. Olketa teeth hia wea olsem samting for faet savve big kasem 30 centimeter.

Mouth bilong hippo hem danger for olketa nara hippo and man tu. Nomata olketa man trae for stap gud witim olketa hippo, hem barava hard. Disfala animal savve attakim eniwan wea kam klosap tumas long area bilong hem, nomata man no duim eni samting long hem. And tu, sapos wanfala hippo hem garekil, hem savve kros go moa and so hem savve spoelem eniwan wea go klosap tumas. Wanfala hippo wea kros savve iusim mouth bilong hem tu for kapsaetem kanu.

Long land, semsem olsem long wata, datfala hippo hem raf tumas. Olsem example, hem danger tumas for man standap satem hippo from ples wea wata stap taem hem kaikai long land. Tru nao, long samfala ples long Africa, olketa hippo attakim samfala man long vilij wea standap satem road bilong hippo for kasem wata. Datfala animal fit for mekem man and animal for feel fraet and man mas deal witim hem long careful wei.

Bae Hippo Savve Go Ahed for Laef?

Taem hem kaikai long land, hippo stap long danger from wei for lion attakim hem. Nomata olsem, main danger wea hippo feisim nao hem olketa man. World Book Encyclopedia sei: “Pipol barava katem daon namba bilong olketa hippopotamus and size bilong area bilong olketa for stap. Olketa man for hunt killim dae staka, and olketa farmer mekem area wea olketa hippopotamus bin stap long hem for kamap garden.”

Tru nao, wei wea olketa man tekem land bilong olketa hippo hem forcem olketa animal hia for stap insaed smol area, wea spoelem wei wea olketa free for muv raon and garem pikinini. Bat iumi hapi from anda long rul bilong Kingdom bilong God, Creator hem promis for mekem bak stretfala wei for stap midolwan olketa man and animal, mekem no eniwan bae “spoelem eniwan or spoelem eni samting” insaed datfala Paradaes long earth.—Isaiah 11:9.

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Elizabeth DeLaney/Index Stock Photography