Common hippo
Meet Hoover, Lola, Nigna and the latest addition to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo's hippo herd - baby Hula!
Common hippos are originally from west and east central Africa. Th word hippopotamus comes from the Ancient Greek meaning "river horse". Common hippos are actually threatened in the wild by habitat loss and hunting for their meat, hides and ivory.
Meet baby Hula
Born on 14 September 2011, Hula is the first Common Hippo born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in six years. Hula was named by her keepers as a mix between her mum and dad's names - Hoover and Lola.
Find out more about baby Hula.
Come visit us in the Zoo!
Meet our Common and Pygmy Hippos at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo 364 days of the year, as well as more than 200 other species!
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Pymgy hippo
Pygmy hippos live in forests near water and are shy and reclusive compared to the more greagrious and social common hippo. They spend much of their day in the water which helps to keep them cool and protect their skin from the sun in hot climates.
You can often find ZSL Whipsnade Zoo's trio of pygmy hippos camoflaged in their outdoor pond, or if it is a colder day, in their indoor heated pool!
Find out about our Pygmy hippo conservation breeding at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Meet baby Sapo
Pygmy hippos can be up to one-tenth of the size of common hippos, and when they are babies even smaller! Baby Sapo, born in early 2011, is growing bigger by the day but check out this video of when he was just a few months old:
Pygmy hippo conservation
With less than 3,000 individuals remaining in the wild, the pygmy hippopotamus is classified as Endangered on the 2010 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
