The newest addition to the Virginia Zoo is a baby pygmy hippopotamus

Pay attention Moo Deng, there’s a new little dwarf hippopotamus in town. The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia has just announced the arrival of a healthy-looking female calf born earlier this month.

The hippopotamus calf was born on December 9 to parents Iris and Corwin after a seven-month gestation period, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. Zoo statement. The unnamed baby is his parents’ third calf in less than five years, and the second to appear just before the holiday. A successful birth is a particularly important event because dwarf hippos are Endangered species In the wild.

Pygmy hippos (Chiropsis liberensis(They are one of two species of living hippopotamus remaining in the world, the other being the common hippopotamus (Amphibious hippopotamus). As their name suggests, dwarf hippos are Much smaller From their cousins. Adult pygmy hippos may weigh only 400 to 600 pounds, compared to adult common hippos. weight At least 3,000 pounds (common hippos can weigh up to three times as much).

However, pygmy hippos are still huge, even from the beginning. The Metro Richmond Zoo calf weighed 15 pounds five days after being born, twice the weight of a normal human newborn. So far, everything seems to be going smoothly, as the baby is feeding and growing quickly.

The arrival of the hippopotamus may bring a wave of interest to the zoo, in light of the recent public frenzy over the zoo’s baby animals, from Pesto the penguin to Kirby, the bug-eyed baby elephant at the Houston Zoo.

The Metro Richmond calf is one of several dwarf hippopotamus calves making headlines this year, along with a hippopotamus calf. Indefinite calf At Attica Zoo in Athens and Edinburgh Zoo Haggis. The most famous hippopotamus calf at the time, Mo Ding, became an overnight Internet sensation and was viral Its fair share From abusive fans throwing things at her home zoo in Thailand.

“Most people never get a hippopotamus for Christmas, so we feel lucky to have gotten two over the years,” the zoo said in its statement. statement Birth announcement.

Zoo officials said Iris and “New Ding” (brand pending) have been moved to a special hay-filled barn for the time being, which will allow them to bond properly. Eventually, the calf will move to the zoo’s publicly viewable indoor pool exhibit, where it will likely attract fans eager for more baby hippo content.

Pygmy hippos are much less aggressive than their common cousins, who are known for their ability to kill Hundreds of people every year In the wild, so there is little worry that a young hippopotamus will cause uncontrollable carnage.

Unlike common hippos, which live in herds, pygmy hippos usually live alone or sometimes in pairs as adults. Once the newborn calf is fully grown, the zoo plans to move her to a park or other sanctuary where she can pair up with a potential mate and hopefully have her own babies as part of ongoing conservation efforts.

Both types of hippopotamus face up Population problems In parts of Africa they call it home. But the situation for pygmy hippos is much more serious; An estimated 2,500 pygmy hippos It still exists In the wild, compared to more than 120,000 common hippos. So, as ironic as this latest calf may be, its arrival is also vital to ensuring the long-term survival of the species.

Meanwhile, the Metro Richmond Zoo is hard at work managing public relations for the hippopotamus star. Just today, the zoo announced a public poll to determine the calf’s new name from four available options: Poppy, Juniper, Hammy Mae, and Omi. The poll, which closes on December 31, can be viewed (and voted on) here.