Hippo meat can be eaten by people.

Hippos are either supersize herbivores or cannibalistic killing machines.Scientists look at nature's most misunderstood mammals.

Over the years, scientists have gotten it wrong about Hippopotamuses.Modern science linked the animals to pigs despite their ancient Greek name.They are related to whales according to the most recent studies.

They excrete a red fluid that contains sunscreen, even though they don't sweat blood.The rotund creatures have surprised biologists with their running speeds.

We think we know everything there is to know about these animals, but there are things we don't know.

The animals are known to be herbivores because of their chambered stomach.Is there going to be a disturbing U-turn on that knowledge?

Hippos are huge, with mature males weighing up to 3,200 grams.They have a reputation for being aggressive and can measure up to 40 cm in length with their incisor teeth.

Hippos have been named the most dangerous animals in Africa due to encounters with unlucky locals and tour guides that got too close.

Hippos only prey on grass.They spend most of their time wallowing to cool off and digest their food in order to maintain their impressive aspects.

Scientists have begun to uncover some exceptional behavior that could change our opinion of the animals again, especially their seemingly limited diet.Leejiah Dorward, a PhD student at Imperial College London, published a paper in the African Journal of Ecology.

I was in the southern end of Kruger National Park in South Africa when I saw two dead Hippos in a river surrounded by crocodiles.He said that this was not unique until we saw one of the Hippos feeding.

Dorward was surprised to see a vegetarian eating meat of its own species.

He said that it was not until he got back to the UK that he realized how unreported this behavior was.

The second account of cannibalism by Hippos in scientific literature was confirmed by Dorward.Dr Joseph P Dudley of the University of Alaska has been looking at a puzzle for two decades.

The important thing is that this shows how much we still have to learn about nature, and even some of the largest and most charismatic wildlife species on the planet.

The first ever record of Hippos eating meat was made by Dr. Dudley in 1995.Hippos eat impala, baby elephants and even their own kind.The cannibalistic incidents have occurred across the range of animals, from South Africa to Uganda.

In the past, Dr. Eltringham suggested that the animals are not predatory but are driven to eat when there is little or no food.The animals are facing increasing pressure from humans that hunt them for their meat and ivory teeth, encroaching settlements and growing competition for freshwater.The species is vulnerable across its range after declines of up to 20% over the past two decades.

According to Leejiah Dorward, who studies the interaction between poor communities, if carnivory is driven by deficiencies in the Hippos, then they may become more dangerous during droughts or other times when their access to food is restricted.

The exact reasons why Hippos feed on meat are unknown.

The meat-eating behavior of the Hippos has been overlooked in the past, according to Dr Dudley.

Dr Dudley said, "We assume that we know everything about these animals because of centuries of human study and observation but as this phenomenon demonstrates, there are things happening out there that do not meet with what we think they know."