AWESOME ANIMALS

Pygmy hippopotamus did you know?

Finish the drawing

• The common hippo’s relative. The pygmy hippopotamus is a smaller version of the closely related, and more well-known, common hippopotamus. It is only half as tall and weighs less than 1/4 as much as the common hippopotamus.

• Veggies, please! Pygmy hippos are herbivores, mostly eating leaves, ferns, herbs and fallen fruits. They hide in dense forests, in bushes in the swamps and near streams throughout the day, and then come out at night to find food.

• Feed me here, there or anywhere! A pygmy hippo calf can nurse from its mother on land or underwater.

• I’d rather be alone. While common hippos are often seen in pods as large as 50, pygmy hippos are solitary animals, who spend the majority of their lives alone.

• Not much to say. Pygmy hippos emit sounds including a low grunt and a high-pitched squeak, but often go months without making a sound.

On May 24, the Greensboro Science Center celebrated the birth of Huckleberry, the first pygmy hippo born at the center. Visit Huckleberry while at the Science Center and follow the Center’s social media pages for frequent updates!