Congratulations, Funani and Otis!
After a rocky first start to their relationship (see Hippos: Big Love), river hippos Funani and Otis are now proud parents! On January 26, 2011, at about 11:30 a.m., Fu gave birth to a bouncing, baby…hippo. Hippos are a notoriously bellicose species, especially mothers with calves. Fu is no exception; therefore, we have been unable (as of yet) to definitively sex the little one. San Diego Zoo veterinarians have gotten a good visual and determined that our newest addition is healthy and doing well. This comes as no surprise, since this is Funani’s fourth offspring. It is, however, her first calf with Otis. The genetic pairing is a boon to the zoological population.
While motherhood is old hat for Funani, this is my first opportunity to work with a hippo calf and a chance for the two of us to learn a lot together. After just a few days, the little one has already learned tons. Unlike other neonates, hippo calves need to learn how to walk AND swim. In fact, this youngster was born in the shallow water of our river hippo exhibit, in front of a very excited audience of guests and employees, and immediately swam around to mother’s loving face. Soon, mother Fu was nudging the little one up onto the beach to take its first wobbly steps.
Boy or girl?
Nursing is another tricky task. They can, of course, nurse on land like other youngsters of the African wilderness, but they can also nurse underwater. Hippo calves can’t hold their breath for very long, though, and must come up for air pretty often.
The calf has learned to strictly obey mother’s rules and warnings. This is crucial for survival in the wild. When something strikes Mom as suspicious or dangerous, she communicates with the young one using short, but stern, grunts. You can bet there is also a great deal of infrasonic (ultra low-frequency) communication as well. The Zoo’s okapis (which also communicate through infrasound) have been paying a lot more attention to their neighbors these days. One could surmise the new voice of the calf is what has got them rapt.
Most recently, mother and calf have started venturing into the hippo barn. After three days on exhibit, there was quite a bit of clean up for us. But soon we had the pair back out for our guests to enjoy.
Funani has demonstrated herself to be a very dedicated and gentle mother. She can maneuver the kid around with the slightest of prodding from her huge snout and is very careful to know exactly where baby is before taking a step or lowering her massive frame.
So, what about dad? Unfortunately, male hippos are not the most trustworthy of parents. So, to be safe, we went ahead and separated Otis and Fu well before we determined she was due to give birth. For now, Otis is being held off-exhibit in our barn, where he has his own pool to laze around in.
We have yet to get a weight on this calf, but newborn hippos can weigh between 50 and 100 pounds (23 and 45 kilograms). Generally, they are fully weaned after six to eight months. So, come get a glance quickly, for it won’t be long before the youngster is a multi-ton leviathan like its parents!
Nate Schierman is a keeper at the San Diego Zoo. Read his previous post, Hippo Photo Goes Global.
Congratulations to the proud Mama and Papa and staff at San Diego Z00! We saw the photogenic couple when Funani was 4 months pregnant (and had no idea a little one was on the way)! What a beautiful “little” bundle of joy!!
What does “bellicose species” mean? I watched the video and I was concerned that the little tyke might drown.. It’s amazing that he can swim right after birth. It’s not like he’s a dolphin or fish!!! And who can’t say that a baby hippo is pretty cute stuff? Congrats SDZ on yet ANOTHER baby!!
Moderator’s note: Bellicose can mean quarrelsome or eager to start a fight. It’s fun to learn a new word, and I think Nate’s use of bellicose is a great description of a mother hippo’s temperment.
Thanks for the update, Nate. We are huge Otis and Fu fans and can’t wait to hear even more about the new baby hippo! We came by last Friday and viewed mama and calf and they look great! Keep up the great work with them
I LIKE HIPPOS!!!!
What a beautiful bundle of joy. Thank you Nate for putting the video here also. How long do you plan on keeping Otis from Funani and the little one?
A quick update for everyone:
The sex of the little calf has been determined. It’s a boy! And he’s already got a name. The name Adhama was chosen. It means “honor” in Swahili.
I saw baby Adham last week. He was out of water, standing next to his mom. Very small and cute!
he is so adorable and cute i wish he was my pet
Congratulations to all staff of San Diego Zoo!!.
It’s nice to see this wonderful creatures and little hippos think they can dance!!
Amazing!!!
I love hippos. These pictures rock. I want a hippo so badly for a pet so I can play with it all the time. Hippos <3
-Jon
guess what dancer? he IS my pet! you can adopt animals online and pay to own the animal! the money helps the zoo pay for the food and toys for the hippos!
the hippo i very cute! and he likes to swim in the water and its SOOO cute! Adhama [ the baby hippo] is so cute with his mom nd himwith his mouth pressed on the glass!
Moderator’s note: For those interested in our Adopt an Animal program, click here!
Is Otis out…? I’m planning a visit next week and would be really really disappointed if I don’t get to see him. Please tell me that I won’t be disappointed…?
Moderator’s note: We can never guarantee an animal will be out on exhibit on any given day, but Otis’ typical days on exhibit are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mom and calf take the other four days.
I met the younster. But I missed Otis. I knew Otis actually I used to come around alot as a kid. I came to the San Diago Zoo too see if Otis was still around.
I met the baby though
We just went to the zoo. Was that Fu and Adhama in the exhibit, or someone else?
Moderator’s note: If you saw two hippos, then it was mother Funani and her son, Adhama.