Taronga Zoo in Sydney Announces Birth of Adorable Baby Pygmy Hippo
There’s nothing more adorable than baby animals, and so when the Taronga Zoo in Australia announced the birth of a female Pygmy Hippo named Lololi, I knew I had to see her and share this adorable video!
The Zoo made the announcement and Lololi and her mom Kambiri made their first public debut on Saturday, February 18th. Kambiri welcomed her new baby into the world on January 16th. Lololi weighed about 8 pounds at birth and has been growing quickly since then. Isn't she adorable?!
@Taronga Zoo also reported that over the past month mom and baby have spent lots of time bonding in the behind-the-scenes nursery. Lololi’s practiced her swimming skills, and she loves splashing – and snoozing – in the pool. She is also having fun exploring her outdoor habitat. They also shared that if you visit, the best time to see the two out and about is during the morning. Commenters left almost a thousand comments, and there were some cute ones. Like this one that @Indi shared, "The mum is smiling like look human I made this!" @Hannah got more than 16 thousand likes when she said, "Baby hippos are just the cutest, all bald and gummy!"
Related: Baby Pygmy Hippo Makes Its Debut at a Zoo in Czech Republic
Facts About Pygmy Hippos
Unfortunately, Pygmy Hippos are endangered with only an estimated 2,500 left in the wild due to habitat loss and destruction caused by human encroachment. This makes this little one's birth even more special! The babies don't walk well at birth, but it certainly looks like Lololi has figured out how to do it!
Pygmy hippos are different from regular hippos because of their size of course. A pygmy hippo is only about half the size of a regular hippo and weighs only about a quarter of what a regular hippo does, with an adult weighing about 600 pounds or so. Another major difference between the two are their feet; regular hippos have webbed feet, but pygmy hippos have separated toes and sharp nails on their feet. Their heads are also shaped differently, and the pygmy's eyes are on the sides rather than on top of it like other hippos.
Most hippos love the water, but pygmy hippos spend don't spend as much time in the water as bigger hippos. Like regular hippos, these guys cannot swim which is interesting since they spend a lot of time in the water...often times even sleeping in it. Instead of swimming, they walk (and run!) in the water. Mama hippos can even nurse their babies under the water for a few minutes. Another interesting thing about the water is that regular hippos are usually born in the water while pygmy hippos give birth on land.
There are a lot of differences between hippos and pygmy hippos but one thing's for certain, they both give birth to some very cute babies!
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