The Greensboro Science Center shared a video of a 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.
A female Greensboro pygmy hippopotamus, Holly, welcomed a calf, according to a May well 26 Facebook post.
“The calf was born on May well 24, 2023, to Holly (female) and Ralph (male), a pair encouraged for breeding by the Aquarium and Zoo Survival Strategy Plan,” the center stated, “marking a important milestone in GSC’s most current expansion Zoo, Revolution Ridge.
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In a video shared by the center, Holly and her new calf stand in the mud, the infant impossibly tiny subsequent to its currently tiny mother.
The two are tiny hippos, a distinct species than the prevalent river hippo, which only grows to among 350 and 600 pounds, the center stated. Child ponies weigh 7.five to 14 pounds at birth, according to the San Diego Zoo’s Wildlife Alliance.
River hippos, by comparison, can develop up to four,000 pounds and are a single of the most hazardous animals in Africa, Ultimate Kilimanjaro reports.
By comparison, miniature horses are a single-sixth the size. They are native to West Africa, mainly Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
They are also incredibly uncommon.
Tiny horse horses are endangered, which is why conservation efforts are vital, the center stated. 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 Strategy plan vital.
“Starting Friday, May well 26 at two:00 p.m., viewing of the hippo enclosure will be interrupted … when we continue to monitor Holly and her new calf,” the center stated.