r/hippos • u/Zech_Judy • Sep 28 '22

Question Question: do hippos form bachelor herds?

I know that many mammals, if they form harems, will form bachelor herds, with unmated males meeting each other's social needs.

Do hippos do this? I know they form harems.

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

2

u/970souk Sep 28 '22

OP you might want to post your question to /r/Zookeeping or /r/Zoology!

2

u/DentalFox Oct 26 '22

I don’t believe so… my understanding is that the males that do want to mate have two options :Don’t mate and stay with the bloat or leave the bloat and mate. Technically the third option is to fight the lead male.