• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
ned hardy logo

Ned Hardy

The Intriguing World Of Entertainment

  • Television
  • Movies
  • About Us
  • Contact

Rhino vs Hippo: Who Would Win In A Fight?

By Ashley Reyes | November 3, 2021

rhino vs hippo

It’s time to answer the age old question of who would win in a fight between the fierce rhino and the brawny hippos.

Both animals sit at top of the food chain with no known predators.

How would their differences in attributes and instincts measure up against each other? Do rhinos and hippos ever fight in real life? Who would win? Let’s find out.

[democracy id=”4″]

Tale of the Tape

 

Rhino

Hippo

Max Weight

2,000-5,000lbs 3,300-4,000lbs

Max Length

13ft 14ft

Max Height

6ft 5 ft

Habitat

Africa: grassland Sub-Saharan Africa: lake, rivers, swamps

Lifespan

35-40 years 40 – 50 years

Bite Force

N/A 1,825 psi PSI

Speed

30-40mph 30mph

Temperament

Nervous Aggressive

Diet

Herbivore Herbivore

Rhino Attributes

A Rhino is the tank of the animal kingdom. Their imposing size, their armor like skin and deadly horns makes them a formidable opponent.

The largest rhino species is the white rhino. They can exceed over 5000 pounds, are 13 feet long, 6 feet tall and can achieve speeds of 31mph.

They have a massive muscled body, large head, a short neck and broad chest.

Their skin is around 1.5 – 5 cm thick and is formed from layers of collagen positioned in a crisscrossed framework.

Their horns can grow up to 60 inches in length and are made of keratin, the protein that also makes up hair and nails of humans.

They have a large hump in their neck that is made of pure muscle and which allows them create a powerful swing of their horn.

While white rhinos are calmer, the black rhino has a reputation for being extremely aggressive, and charges at any perceived threats.

Black rhinos have been known to fight each other. They have the highest rates of mortal combat recorded for any mammal: 50% of males and 30% of females die from combat related injuries.

Despite their massive size, Rhinos are incredibly agile and can reach speeds of 30mph.

The rhino’s biggest weakness is it’s notoriously bad vision. Their eyesight is considered one of the worst in the animal kingdom and ranks up there with bats and moles.

Because of their diminished population and the prevalence of inbreeding, poor vision has been bred into the genetics. To compensate for their poor vision they rely on their rely on sense of smell and hearing to navigate their surroundings.

Strengths: Sharp horn, thick armor skin, speed

Weakness: Poor vision

Hippo Attributes

Hippos are one of the firecest and most deadliest animals on earth. They account for more human deaths than any other animal, not including disease carrying insects. It is estimated that hippos kill around 500 people each year.

Hippos are one of the largest living land mammals. Only elephants and white rhinos are bigger. They grow up to 16 feet long and up to 5 feet tall at the shoulder. The average female weighs around 3,000lbs, while males weigh 3,500 to 4,000 lbs.

Surprisingly for their size, they’re speedy runners, hitting top speeds of around 20 miles per hour.

They have thick skin, which is several inches thick on their flank. They have sharp ivory tusks that can grow up to 2 feet in length and their mouths can opens 150 degrees wide.

Hippos have the strongest bite force of any herbivore on the planet and the third largest bite force of all animals. They can clamp down with a force of nearly 2,000 PSI and are said to be capable of biting a 10-foot crocodile in half.

These highly aggressive and territorial animals are unpredictable and can attack with little provocation. Crocodiles are often on the receiving end of their agression, as they live in the same habitat.

Their aggression is not limited to crocodiles. Male hippos are in a constant fight over life and death with other male hippos over access to female mating partners. Around 90% of less dominant males are excluded from mating.

Not surprinsgly, they have no natural predators and live freely among crocodiles, lions and hyenas.

Strengths: Aggression, fight experience, bite force, ivory tusks

Weakness: none

 

Rhino

Hippo

Size

✓  

Strength

✓  

Intelligence

  ✓

Aggression

  ✓

Bite Force

  ✓

Agility

✓  

Speed

✓  

Fighting Instincts

  ✓

(Related: Lion vs Crocodile: Who Would Win In A Fight?)

Final Verdict: Who Would Win In A Fight?

Some people say the rhino would triumph because of its larger size, vicious horn, and faster speed. However the hippo has more advantages, that include its enormous mouth that can deliver a massive bite force with its ivory tusks. The hippo can see better since rhinos have poor eyesight, and a hippo has much more fight experience gained from defending his harem, whereas the rhino, who lives a solitary life, gets in a tussle with other rhinos on occasion.

The Rhino has a slight size advantage, however this fight will be dictated by aggression, instincts and fight experience.

Hippos are often considered to be the most ferocious and aggressive animals in the animal kingdom and deservedly so. In contrast, Rhinos are nervous, passive and only attack when they feel threatened.

The stereotype of rhinos being aggressive killing machines is totally incorrect. Rhinos only appear aggressive because their poor eyesight causes them to see almost anything as a possible threat. They have been even observed in nature attacking trees and termite mounds. This poor eyesight puts them at a great disadvantage.

The rhino’s best strategy against an rhino is by ramming it at full speed with its horn. To get to its full speed it will need to be at a far distance, which would put it out of viewing range of the hippo.

We can theorize all day, but lucky for us there are videos of hippos and rhinos duking it out in real life!

The first video shows a rhino entering hippo territory and then getting chased away by an equally sized hippo

The second video shows a hippo getting too cozy with a rhino and getting chased away

The third video shows a hornless rhino getting bit and bullied into the water by a hippo.

Related Posts:

    Polar Bear vs Hippo
    Polar Bear Vs. Hippo: Who Would Win in a Fight?
    Lion vs Crocodile: Who Would Win In A Fight?
    Lion vs Crocodile: Who Would Win In A Fight?
    hyena vs wolf
    Hyena vs Wolf: Who Would Win In A Fight?
    polar bear vs grizzly bear
    Polar Bear vs. Grizzly Bear: Who Would Win in a Fight?
    gorilla vs crocodile
    Gorilla vs Crocodile: Who Would Win In A Fight?
    lion vs honey badger
    Honey Badger vs Lion: Who Would Win In A Fight?
    moose vs bear
    Moose vs Bear: Who Would Win In A Fight?
    lion vs bear
    Lion vs Bear: Who Would Win In A Fight?
    bobcat vs coyote
    Bobcat vs Coyote: Who Would Win In A Fight?

About Ashley Reyes

Ashley is a Ned Hardy staff writer who loves covering pop culture and television. When not writing, she can be found snuggled up to her cats, Mitski and Millie and thinking about how she can convince her husband to adopt another cat.

Primary Sidebar


Star Trek Actor Reveals His Humiliating Experience Working With The Seinfeld Actors


She Played ‘Nadia’ In American Pie. See Shannon Elizabeth Now at 49.


Rachael Leigh Cook Says It Was A Huge Mistake To Pass On This Superhero Movie


Leonardo DiCaprio’s Worst Movie Is So Terrible It Has a 0% Rotten Tomatoes Score


See MythBusters Kari Byron Now At 48.


This Rock Icon Was On An Episode Of DS9 And Many Star Trek Fans Had No Idea


The True Story of Why James Cameron Tried To Disown His First Movie


5 Highly Underrated Futurama Episodes That Many Fans Have Overlooked


Which Firefly Cast Member Had The Most Successful Career After The Show Ended?

About Us | Contact | Privacy Policy | Fact Checking | DMCA Copyright © 2023