Hungry, hungry hippo.

So hippos are supposed to be one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.

(For more info about the horribleness of hippos, check out this interesting question/answer thing: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1862/are-hippos-the-most-dangerous-animal).

Look at those ferocious beasts. (Picture credit: sodahead.com)

 But today, I met a hippo. A hippo named Henry. And he was the most adorable, calm, well-behaved animal I have met in a long while (apart from my dogs, that is).

I was working with the vet, and we were called down to check on a mass in Henry's mouth. I was expecting him to be sedated or something when we got there, but nope. He was wide awake, swimming around in his pond. When we went into his enclosure, he swam right up to us and opened his mouth (much like the hippo in the picture below). And he kept it open. For like, 5 minutes straight.

Those teeth.... (Picture credit: huntercourse.com)

I guess he's been trained to do that for treats, which makes it very easy to look inside his mouth (luckily for us). But then the vet stuck her arm inside his mouth to poke around on his teeth, and I was like, "Dude, what the heck are you doing? He's going to snap that mouth shut, and you're going to lose an arm." But he didn't. He was actually quite accommodating and really sweet. So much so that I worked up the courage to pet his wet, bristly nose. And then.... I, too, stuck my hand in his mouth.

Yeah. I stuck my hand in a hippo's mouth. It was amazing. I'm pretty sure people in Africa would think I'm like a god or something (or maybe they would just think I'm crazy...).  

But anyway, Henry's mouth was basically okay. He had a big lump where a tooth had fractured, but it wasn't causing him any pain, so they're just going to keep an eye on it for now.

Other than this, my day was uneventful. But I'm pretty sure I have a new favorite animal.

:)   (Picture credit: fanpop.com)