Baby pygmy hippo’s first public appearance

Taronga Zoo's baby pygmy hippopotamus, the first born in seven years, made its first public appearance in Sydney on Friday, March 17. The female calf was born to first-time parents Fergus and Kambiri on February 21, 2017 and has begun to explore its new surroundings, making a splash in the zoo's pool. Pygmy hippopotamus are classified as endangered, with fewer than 3000 left in the wild. Taronga Zoo will soon hold a competition to help choose a name for the baby Pygmy Hippopotamus. The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal. It is one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being its much larger cousin the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). The pygmy hippopotamus displays many terrestrial adaptations, but like its larger cousin, it is semi-aquatic and relies on water to keep its skin moist and its body temperature cool.