Hippos have been caught on camera ignoring their herbivore instincts and tucking into the carcass of an elephant on the banks of a river.

A bloat of hippos in Botswana was spotted tucking into the carcass of an elephant which lay partly in the Chobe River back in October

Photographer Brice Petit said that elephant stomachs carry 70 per cent undigested vegetables, making it not uncommon for a group of hippos to be seen waiting around a body

Peculiarly in this case though, the hippos seemed unwilling to wait for the body to rot away so they could get at the vegetables, and instead tried to eat their way to the stomach

Despite the large herd of elephants stood in the background, the bloat of hippos could be seen huddled around the dead body

The inquisitive hippos could be seen inspecting the body of the elephant before trying to nibble on the carcass

One elephant was even spotted picking up the dead elephant’s trunk in its mouth, dropping it back in the water, and then biting down on it

A second hippo joined the younger animal to take a look at the dead elephant’s trunk as it floated in the water

Urging the small hippo to keep away, the older animal opened up its mouth in an attempt to be intimidating

The bigger hippo chomped down on the elephant’s trunk after having inspected it in the water