When the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler added penguins, I was super excited. Penguins are super cool. If I could own one, I would.

But another of my favorite animals is the hippopotamus, or hippo for the rest of the article. That's hard to spell.

But I digress. Yes, they are one of the most dangerous animals around but that's why it's great to see them in a zoo. You can enjoy their majesty without the danger.

Over the last year, we fell in love with Fiona, the prematurely born hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo. She's so cute and awesome and has a great personality. Kinda like me, except for the she part.

Fiona is now over a year old and still entertaining visitors.

Fiona rules.

I did find some interesting facts about hippos from parade.com. Feel free to share with your co-workers today.

  • A hippo may look cute when it yawns but yawning is a sign of aggression among hippos.
  • Greeks called hippos “water horses”. I have a feeling they probably didn't try to ride them, though.
  • Hippos have a built in sunscreen. It's a mucous secretion, named "blood sweat" because of it's red color, that gives them protection from the sun.
  • Hippos spend about 16 hours a day in water but can't swim or float. They stay in shallow water.
  • Hippos are the third-largest land mammal behind elephants and white rhinos.

So there you go. Maybe if you didn't love hippos before, you will now. Happy National Hippo Day.

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