The Greensboro Science Center shared a video of the newborn endangered animal.
Greensboro Science Center
In an announcement filled with “pure delight and excitement,” a North Carolina science center welcomed a new member of its animal family members.
The Greensboro Science Center’s female pygmy hippopotamus, Holly, welcomed a calf, according to a May possibly 26 Facebook post.
“The calf was born on May possibly 24, 2023 to Holly (female) and Ralph (male), a pair encouraged for breeding by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Strategy System,” the center stated, “making a substantial milestone in the GSC’s most current zoo expansion, Revolution Ridge.”
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In a video shared by the center, Holly and her new calf stand in the mud, the child extremely tiny subsequent to its currently tiny mother.
The two are pygmy hippos, a unique species than the frequent river hippopotamus, which only grows to amongst 350 and 600 pounds, the center stated. Pygmy hippos weigh 7.five to 14 pounds at birth, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says.
River hippos, in comparison, can develop as huge as four,000 pounds, and are 1 of the most hazardous animals in Africa, Ultimate Kilimanjaro reports.
Pygmy hippos, by comparison, are 1-sixth the size. They are native to West Africa, mainly Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
They are also really uncommon.
Pygmy hippos are endangered, creating conservation efforts vital, the center stated. Greensboro Science Center
Listed as endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species, there are only an estimated two,500 adult pygmy hippos in the wild, creating breeding applications like the Species Survival Strategy plan vital.
“Beginning Friday, May possibly 26 at two:00 p.m., viewing of the hippo indoor holding region will be intermittent … as we continue to monitor Holly and her new calf,” the center stated.