Cute Alert: Baby hippo born at Animal Kingdom in Disney World
The first Nile hippopotamus in 13 years was born this past weekend at Animal Kingdom in Disney World.
The calf, who has not been named yet, was born January 13, 2018 at 10 p.m.
The gender of the calf is not known yet. The animal care team is giving the mother, Tuma, and her calf room to nurse and bond, so the gender and the calf’s weight might not be known for a little while.
Hippo calves weigh anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds at birth and can suckle on land or underwater by closing their ears and nostrils. Each female hippo has one calf every two years.
The average female weighs around 3,000 pounds while males weigh 3,500 to 9,920 pounds.
Tuma and the calf will be able to be seen on Kilimanjaro Safaris and the Wild Africa Trek experience at Animal Kingdom.
This is another new addition to the park. In August 2017, two Sumatran tiger cubs were born at Animal Kingdom. They can now be seen along the Maharajah Jungle Trek.
