Hippos are fascinating but dangerous creatures that can be excruciatingly hard to photograph. They tend to play hide and seek with humans, staying submerged for long periods of time then surfacing only briefly, with just eyes and nostrils exposed. As we waited for this sighting, one large animal startled us by coming up right beside us and actually nudging our boat. I thought we were safe in the boat until our driver told us he had been capsized three times by hippos. We were immediately alert - you never know when or where these massive beasts are going to show themselves. When this hefty female suddenly surfaced with a bellowing show of aggression, warning us we were in her territory, I was able to grab this shot despite being more than a little nervous. It was a clear reminder that much of the wildlife we were privileged to see is still seriously wild.

Catalog Number: WAN233
Edition: 300
Image Ratio: 3:1