Mars (pygmy hippo)

Last updated

Mars
Mars the Pygmy Hippo was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in June of 2025 Mars the Pygmy Hippo Smiles at Tanganyika Wildlife Park.jpg
Mars the Pygmy Hippo was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in June of 2025
Mars at Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Species Choeropsis liberiensis
SexMale
BornJune 26, 2025
Goddard, Kansas, U.S.
Known forViral video featuring a maternal “mom stare”; public naming vote; people visiting from all over the United States
ResidenceTanganyika Wildlife Park (Goddard, Kansas)
ParentsPluto (sire) and Posie (dam)

Mars (born June 26, 2025) is a male pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). He was the fifth pygmy hippo calf born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas, United States.

Contents

Early life

Tanganyika Wildlife Park announced that a male pygmy hippopotamus calf was born there on June 26, 2025. [1] [2] He was the fifth calf born to adults Posie (dam) and Pluto (sire). [3]

Mom and calf sleeping at Tanganyika Wildlife Park Pygmy Hippo Mom and Calf Mars and Posie.jpg
Mom and calf sleeping at Tanganyika Wildlife Park
Mars the Pygmy Hippo was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in June of 2025 Mars the Pygmy Hippo at Tanganyika Wildlife Park.jpg
Mars the Pygmy Hippo was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in June of 2025

Media coverage and popularity

A clip shared in August 2025 showed Mars being coaxed and pushed out of the pool by a keeper and also Mars lingering in a pool until his mother intervened with a look, which ABC described as a “universal ‘mom stare’.” The segment ran on World News Tonight with David Muir . [4] [5] National Geographic profiled Mars’ rise alongside broader context about pygmy hippo popularity on social media following the Thai calf Moo Deng. [6]

Mars the Pygmy Hippo was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in June of 2025 Mars the pygmy hippo at Tanganyika Wildlife Park.jpg
Mars the Pygmy Hippo was born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in June of 2025

See also

References

  1. ↑ Schmidt, LynnLee (July 9, 2025). "Tiny Hippo, Big News: Critically Endangered Pygmy Hippo Born at Kansas Wildlife Park". Tanganyika Wildlife Park. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  2. ↑ America, Good Morning. "New baby pygmy hippo makes debut in Kansas". Good Morning America. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  3. ↑ Valdez, Ana; Duarte, Jack (August 1, 2025). "New baby pygmy hippo born at Tanganyika Wildlife Park". KWCH. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  4. ↑ News Staff, ABC (August 14, 2025). "Pygmy hippo baby at Kansas zoo refuses to leave pool until universal 'mom stare'". World News Tonight with David Muir. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  5. ↑ News, A. B. C. "David Muir shares the heartwarming story of Mars, the baby hippo who went viral". ABC News. Retrieved November 12, 2025.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ↑ "Is this the new Moo Deng? Meet Mars the pygmy hippo". National Geographic. November 12, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.