An adult hippopotamus watches from the shallows as a group moves in an almost perfect line through the waters of Uganda’s Kazinga Channel.
The Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of those places where the lives of hippopotamuses can be observed almost at water level. During a boat cruise near the Mweya Peninsula, I saw a massive adult standing in the shallows while a group of hippos moved calmly through the water beside the bank.
The arrangement of the animals immediately suggested a story of its own. The adult appeared like an attentive guardian watching over the scene, while the ears, eyes and nostrils of the other hippos formed an almost perfect line above the surface. Only one instruction seemed to be missing: keep your heads above water and continue swimming.
The title is, of course, a playful photographic interpretation. The image alone cannot establish the adult’s sex or confirm any family relationship between the animals. What it does reveal is something more authentic—the social nature of hippos and their remarkable adaptation to life in water.
What I appreciate most about this photograph is its quietness. There is no dramatic action, yet every head visible above the surface guides the eye across the frame. An ordinary moment in the lives of wild animals becomes a small story through timing, perspective and imagination.
- Date
- 2026-01-01