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The four-month-old is now being introduced to an outdoor habitat, where she has been swimming with excitement in a 9-foot-deep pool. Zoo caretakers stand around the pool, encouraging little Fiona to swim onward. While this might sound like a job for her hippo parents, Fiona just couldn’t stand on her own to be nursed. Her parents weigh more than 3,000 pounds, and Fiona is only 275. The zoo caretakers are slowly introducing Fiona to her parents and say things are going very well.

Fiona can only spend short periods of time outside. Her pool session last about an hour. It takes a ton of energy for Fiona to propel her little self to the bottom of the pool and then pull herself up for air. Imagine doing that over and over again. Unfortunately, she is not ready for her public debut, since there’s so much more this courageous hippo has yet to explore.

You go, girl! #TeamFiona!

Facts

  • Believe it or not, newborn hippos weight anywhere from 55 to 120 pounds! Hippo Fiona weighed only 29.
  • A hippo can live for up to 40 years.
  • The hippo’s closest living relatives are whales and porpoises.
  • Their Scientific Name is Hippopotamus Amphibius-meaning River Horse.
  • The hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal after the elephant and white rhino.
  • They can hold their breath for 5-6 minutes.
  • A mother gives birth to her baby underwater.
  • A male hippo is called a Bull.
  • A female hippo is called a Cow.
  • A baby hippo is called a Calf.
  • Hippo’s live in East Africa South of the Sahara.
This hippo is made of scrap metal from oil drums, construction materials and crashed cars!

This hippo is made of scrap metal from oil drums, construction materials and crashed cars!

Source: Baby Hippo Fiona Is about to Make Her Starring Debut