What the freak is that cute hippo?

Wow! A hippo with a little snout! And it’s called a pygmy hippo! How cute is that?! I just want to give it a little pat on the head! I wouldn’t do that. It’s cute, but that shorter snout can still cut you clean in half so don’t treat it any differently than the common hippo.

Omnomomom water.
Eric Kilby

The pygmy hippo is significantly shorter than its relative, reaching only about 3 feet in height. But it’s not the size that counts (RACHEL!), it’s what you do with it, and these hippos weighing up to a whopping 600 pounds certainly make the most of their size.

Open wide!
William Warby

The pygmy hippo’s top layer of skin is smooth and thin to help the animal stay cool, but  that thinness may cause the hippo to get sunburns! Enter, “blood sweat.” Blood sweat is pink fluid that oozes from the top layer of skin and gives the pygmy hippo its glistening, “just ran 100 miles on the treadmill” look.  It protects the hippo’s sensitive skin from sunburn.