Over the last few weeks, images of a clumsy, plump baby hippo have flooded the internet. There are plenty of photos and videos of this pygmy hippopotamus that have gone viral. But there is something different about Moo Deng, which translates to bouncy pork, that makes her so special and relatable.
This two-month-old hippo at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand has become a viral sensation thanks to videos of her biting her caretakers, mimicking her mother’s grass-chomping, and dewy glow despite her refusal to get into the water.
Why Is Moo Deng Special?
Moo Deng belongs to a rarer of the two extant species of hippo in the world. There is the well-known common hippo, and then there is the pygmy hippo.
Pygmy hippos tend to live more solitary lives, according to the Smithsonian, which means it is harder to find these hippos in the wild. Another factor in their rarity is their numbers.
Few scientists are able to study common hippos, and there are “even fewer who study pygmy hippos,” says Rebecca Lewison, a conservation ecologist at San Diego State University, to Slate. “They’re super cryptic and rare.”
Because of this, it is uncommon to witness the behavior of pygmy hippo babies. Moo Deng’s fame is due in part to her seemingly playful and frenzied nature–something that many people have never seen before.
“From my experience with common hippos, nothing about Moo Deng strikes me as particularly unique,” Lewison tells Slate.
Why Is Moo Deng a Viral Sensation?
The internet loves cute creatures. From doggo (RIP) to cats to dewy and rare pygmy hippos, cute living creatures are catnip, for lack of a better term, to the culture.
Moo Deng also happens to be feisty. You know what they say, girlhood is a spectrum.
The Washinton Post noted that studies have shown that cute animals have the sort of “baby schema,” or physical baby-like features, that trigger our evolutionary urge to provide care. Moo Deng’s big eyes, pink pudgy rolls, and cuddly nature make us voluntarily and unconsciously go into parent mode.
It is also nice to stan a silly little hippo because this pygmy hippo isn’t a part of any political agenda. Moo Deng gives us a break from reality, allowing us to fawn over an animal learning to express themselves and set boundaries with caretakers in an adorably aggressive way.
We might not all agree on everything, but we can agree that Moo Deng is so cute.
