Cheeky and her calf

Cheeky and her two month old calf

Published : 16 Mar, 2014

Cheeky and her two month old calf.
Hippo mothers, like any mum, are very protective of their babies. When a calf is about five to six weeks of age the first hippo allowed contact with the new baby is the bull. Often the bull is the father, but not always. The next hippos that are allowed to approach the baby are other small hippos up to about three and a half years of age. If the calf is a male the mother will not normally allow any other female contact with her calf. This can be to keep it from harm as a mother with another male calf will often attack the new baby and could even kill it if the mother of the baby is not quick enough to react. In this photo the baby is a female.

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1 Comment

  1. Khristina Followell

    Good day, Karen and all the Hippos! Santa adopted Cheeky for my hippo loving daughter this past Christmas, and we are now decorating her room in pink and gray for hippos. I love this photo and would love to purchase it to make a canvas print of it for her room.

    Reply

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