I knew about the stotting, but figured it was for mating. The predator thing makes sense.

Hippos also hang out around humans a lot, which increases the chances of unfortunate misunderstandings (almost always resolving in favor of the hippo).

I remember visiting a village in Uganda, on the banks of the Nile.

They had a couple of jettys, going out into the river, and between them, a series of poles and whatnot. It looked like a fish hatchery.

Didn't matter. It was a hippo sofa. There was this hippo, just lying in the water, right in the middle of one of the busiest areas of the village. We were told that it was a regular. Everyone just ignored it.

The jury is still out, as to whether it is worse to be in front of an angry hippo, or behind an incontinent one.