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The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) (/ ˌ h ɪ p ə ˈ p ɒ t ə m ə s /; pl.: hippopotamuses; often shortened to hippo (pl.: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa.
The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) is a small hippopotamid which is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. It has been extirpated from Nigeria. [1] The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal.
People take pictures as a two-month-old female pygmy hippo named "Moo Deng" who has recently become a viral internet sensation, eats with her mother Jona at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi ...
Hippopotamidae is a family of stout, naked-skinned, and semiaquatic artiodactyl mammals, possessing three-chambered stomachs and walking on four toes on each foot. While they resemble pigs physiologically, their closest living relatives are the cetaceans.
Mr Askew added: “Our hippos were much-loved by visitors and staff alike and we want to enable their return as part of our commitments to conservation and education of this incredible species.”
The popularity of Moo Deng has caused the zoo to see weekend attendance double — from 3,000 closer to 7,000, according to Thai PBS World. There are only about 3,000 of the endangered species left.
The hippos stay under water during the day so they can only be spotted during the night or in the evening. In February 2004, a young hippo calf named Hugo or Houdini escaped from Rondevlei after it was bullied by an older dominant male and was on the run for 10 months until it was caught in December and moved to an Eastern Cape private reserve.
Moo Deng, whose name roughly translates to “bouncy pig,” is a 2-month-old female pygmy hippopotamus. Pygmy hippos are an endangered species, with fewer than 3,000 remaining in the wild.