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Premature Baby Hippo Meets Scuba Divers at Cincinnati Zoo

By Scuba Diving Editors | Updated On June 29, 2017
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Premature Baby Hippo Meets Scuba Divers at Cincinnati Zoo

Baby Nile hippo Fiona is probably the cutest thing you’ll see all week. This little gem was born at the Cincinnati Zoo on Jan. 24, six weeks before her due date. At birth, hippos typically weigh between 55 and 100 pounds, but Fiona came out at only 29 pounds. Thanks to the team at the zoo, who provided round-the-clock care for her, tiny Fiona has made strides of progress. She now weighs more than 300 pounds and is getting used to her surroundings. Judging from the video, we think she’s well on her way to living her best zoo hippo life.

Fiona is initially skeptical about just who she’s in the water with, but after assessing the situation, she warms right up to diver Jen. The tiny hippo will be around divers in her outside zoo habitat — Hippo Cove — so it’s necessary to get her comfortable. To establish this comfort, they work in an indoor pool. At first when Fiona sees Jen, the hippo is taken aback. She’s not used to all of the strange-looking gear. After Jen takes off her mask, however, Fiona is more relaxed. The more time the pair is in the water together, the less the hippo seems to be wary of all of Jen’s gear.

Fiona bounces from the bottom of the pool to the surface for air, which is called “porpoising.” According to the Cincinnati Zoo blog, hippos use this technique because, although they spend a lot of time in the water, “hippos are technically incapable of swimming and they tend to sink like a rock in deep waters.” This is because of how dense their bodies are. To combat that density, they’re able to take deep breaths, inflating their lungs to increase buoyancy.

Looks like Fiona’s getting the hang of it! The zoo says it's hopeful she'll make her public debut in no time.

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