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Caption: Hippo opening its jaws wide during a
yawning display, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. An adult hippo, with its huge mouth, large, sharp teeth and powerful jaws,
is capable of chopping a medium-sized crocodile in two. The hippo's "yawning" display is designed to show off
the long, sharp canines and incisors to would-be competitors or intruders. Yet it's the broad, flat molars further back in the mouth
that have the more essential function of breaking down the grass on which hippos graze. © Scotch Macaskill
Camera: Canon EOS 400D (EOS Rebel XTi) digital; Lens: Canon EOS 100-400 IS Zoom.
Location: Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve, which covers more than 4,000 sq km, combines
mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains and lagoons. But it is the floodplains of the Okavango Delta,
one of the world’s largest inland water systems, that have made this reserve world-renowned.
A safari to Moremi should ideally include an exploration of the Delta's intricate waterways in a
mokoro or dug-out canoe with a knowledgeable local guide. Moremi is best visited in the dry season and
game viewing is at its peak from July to October, when seasonal pans dry up and the wildlife concentrates
on the permanent water. It is then that the wide variety of wildlife - elephants, buffalo, giraffe,
lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, jackal and a full range of antelope - is most accessible to visitors.
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