Pygmy hippo born at North Carolina science center: video

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 loved ones.

The Greensboro Science Center’s female pygmy hippopotamus, Holly, welcomed a calf, according to a Might 26 Facebook post.

“The calf was born on Might 24, 2023 to Holly (female) and Ralph (male), a pair advised for breeding by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Program System,” the center mentioned, “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 infant extremely tiny subsequent to its currently modest mother.

The two are pygmy hippos, a various species than the typical river hippopotamus, which only grows to amongst 350 and 600 pounds, the center mentioned. 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 a single of the most hazardous animals in Africa, Ultimate Kilimanjaro reports.

Pygmy hippos, by comparison, are a single-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 very uncommon.

Pygmy hippos are endangered, creating conservation efforts critical, the center mentioned. 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 Program system critical.

“Beginning Friday, Might 26 at two:00 p.m., viewing of the hippo indoor holding location will be intermittent … as we continue to monitor Holly and her new calf,” the center mentioned.