Montgomery Zoo debuts new pygmy hippopotamus calf

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(Courtesy: Montgomery Zoo and Mann Wildlife Learning Museum)

Behold the pygmy hippopotamus calf in all its regal spender. No, seriously this thing is so cute!

The Montgomery Zoo and Mann Wildlife Learning Museum held a party on Thursday for their newborn hippo as they debuted him to the world.

The calf’s mother, Lola gave birth at the end of January, and as these photos, which the zoo provided, show, she couldn’t be more proud to show her newborn off to the world.

The little yet-to-be-named guy tipped the scales at 18 pounds, 5 ounces at birth, but a full-grown pygmy hippo typically can reach 30 to 32 inches in height, 59 to 70 inches in length, and weigh 400 to 600 pounds.

Mom, calf, and father, Nile, all are doing well. They all can be seen only for a limited number of hours in the zoo’s South American realm, getting a colorful view next to the flamingo display in case anyone wants to stop by and say hello.

While the little calf is quite simply adorable and all, his birth is much more significant. The Zoological Society of London classifies pygmy hippos as being an endangered species with only about 2,000 left in the wild and their numbers declining every day as their habitat gets destroyed and people hunt them for their meat.

This is Lola and Nile’s second calf together.

For more information on the Montgomery Zoo or the new pygmy hippo calf visit montgomeryzoo.com.