Taking a hot tub inside the Ngorongoro Crater during Tanzania's hot dry season is far from a private affair. Quarters are close, particularly for resident hippopotamuses, which converge on a lone watering hole. They use the crowded setting as an opportunity to get frisky and do some courting. (Sure enough, most hippo births follow in eight months--a gestation period that dovetails with the arrival of the rains and fresh grass.)

Observing one particular courtship in Ngorongoro, photographers Anup and Manoj Shah--brothers who tag-team on their photo shoots with a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens--compiled a veritable Kama Sutra of positions. As a prelude, the male followed the female into the water. Once there the couple clashed their jaws repeatedly, nuzzled, wheeze-honked, and craned their stumpy necks. Eventually they submerged most of their bodies in the water to mate, said the Shahs, who watched from the safety of their 4WD vehicle.

Let me count the reasons why the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) might be better appreciated from a distance.

Consider first that male hippos can fatten up to more than three tons. That pulverizing weight might be less fearsome if it guaranteed lethargy. But no, the titanic creatures can outsprint any human runner on land, and they often maul or kill the people they overtake. In such situations, the hippos are usually on the defensive. Territorial to the teeth, male hippos will fight each other, urinate, and defecate in efforts to defend their space--even flapping their tails in a windshield-wiper fashion to spray fresh feces farther.

If the "dung-showering," as it's called, fails to convince anyone to steer clear, think about this: hippos, though usually herbivores, can turn to cannibalism in crowded settings--an act that may drive outbreaks of anthrax among herds. Also, the creatures ooze an oily red substance (containing particles that may prevent sunburn).

Yet if you're a cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), a front-row seat on the bank of the watering hole would be a prime spot for snapping up insects disturbed by a hippopotamian ruckus.

Photography by Anup and Manoj Shah

Anup and Manoj Shah were born in Kenya to Indian parents and grew up visiting nearby Nairobi National Park. After receiving several university degrees in England, they developed an interest in wildlife photography and returned to Kenya. Together they have published many books, their most recent being African Odyssey: 365 Days (Abrams, 2007).