Discover the Tiny Giants: Top 9 Fun Facts About Pygmy Hippos!

1. Built-in SPF Blood Sweat

You know how humans slather on sunscreen to keep their skin safe from the sun's rays? Well, it turns out pygmy hippos have a built-in SPF, and it's pretty in pink: These curious creatures secrete a rosy-hued fluid called blood sweat, which naturally protects their sensitive skin from sunburns and damage, making them one of the few animals with their own organic sun shield.
Source => animals.sandiegozoo.org

2. Aquatic Breath-Holding Champions

Swimming their way to bathing beauty champion status and proving that small is the new big: Pygmy hippos excel at the aquatic lifestyle, holding their breath for up to five minutes while submerged in rivers and streams, and charmingly chattering away with grunts and vocalizations despite their shy and solitary nature.
Source => balisafarimarinepark.com

Did you know hippos can elegantly waltz underwater and hold their breath for up to five minutes? Discover their unique underwater dancing skills and more! 🦛💧💃

=> Fun Facts about Hippos

3. Tooth Fairy Competition

Don't let their adorable, pint-sized appearance fool you - pygmy hippos could give a tooth fairy a run for her money: Equipped with powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth, these seemingly cuddly creatures can effortlessly demolish tough vegetation and crack open coconuts, using their unmistakable elongated lower canines for both foraging and protection.
Source => animals.sandiegozoo.org

4. Solitary & Energy-Saving Creatures

If pygmy hippos were invited to a party, they'd be the ones in the corner, scrolling through their phones and sipping on a beverage: They are mainly solitary creatures that live alone or in small groups, typically a mother and calf or mated pair, and when they do cross paths with one of their own, they prefer to avoid confrontation and conserve their energy for more pressing matters like searching for food and raising their young.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Underwater Buffet Marathons

Shrinking hippos by the pool: Contrary to their famed chunky relatives, pygmy hippos are small yet mighty aquanauts, capable of holding their breath for up to five minutes, diving to impressive depths, and swimming marathons in search of a tasty underwater buffet.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Perfect Chomp Proficiency

Don't let their petite stature fool you, pygmy hippos may just have inherited the jaw-dropping talents of their famed big cousins: These bite-sized wonders can nonchalantly stretch their mouths to a staggering 150 degrees, effortlessly mastering the art of the perfect chomp to savor their leafy greens.
Source => animalsresearch.com

7. EDGE of Existence Conservation Program

Pygmy hippos: the pint-sized portly protagonists of the animal world, too elusive for the Hunger Games of West Africa, and starring in their very own conservation program, courtesy of the Zoological Society of London! The serious reveal: In an epic journey of David-sized hippos versus the Goliath of extinction, the EDGE of Existence Programme strives to protect and regenerate their dwindling population of a mere 2,000-2,500 in West Africa's Upper Guinea forest, by conserving their habitats and managing captive breeding at London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo.
Source => zsl.org

8. 30 MPH Speedsters

Don't let their adorably rotund bodies fool you into thinking pygmy hippos are slowpokes with no more ambition than a lazy afternoon at a watering hole disco: these pint-sized powerhouses can reach a jaw-dropping 30 miles per hour, zipping around like a compact sports car with stubby legs.
Source => sciencedirect.com

9. Introverted Opera Singers of the Wild

What do pygmy hippos and introverted opera singers have in common? They're both small, unassuming creatures with powerful pipes who enjoy solitude: Pygmy hippos may be tiny, but they make their presence known through a variety of vocalizations like grunts, groans, and whistles, which they use for territorial marking, mating, and warning of danger.
Source => animals.sandiegozoo.org