I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 612 - 611: Elegant Water Ballet

Chubby ambled slowly along the shore.

His round, bulging belly, akin to that of a pregnant state, coupled with the wrinkled folds on his chin, made him look honest and clumsy.

After arriving at Linhai Zoo, he had opened up his appetite, consuming a lot more food than before, and his belly had visibly grown bigger recently.

Compared to his huge and unwieldy body, his legs were disproportionately small, like an armored vehicle fitted with toy bumper car wheels.

He lifted a leg and stepped forward, pausing after each step, then continued walking unrushed, composed and calm.

His way of walking resembled a soulful tango, each step precisely timed, with his head twisting left and right to the rhythm!

There was a fascinating contrast with his clumsy body, and visitors watching him walk actually perceived a degree of elegance.

Chubby strolled languidly while his tail gently swished back and forth.

The small eyes atop his big head squinted, exuding a lazy vibe.

"Wow, such an elegant little mince!"

Qian Keke exclaimed while looking at Chubby, "He's quite cute when he's not pooping!"

Tang Xiaoxin agreed, "Yeah, he looks so dopey and clumsy!"

Chubby had just come out of the water, and his thick skin refracted the sunlight, revealing a hint of dark red within the deep brown, shimmering brightly.

"His skin looks like it's been slathered in sunscreen! I really want to touch it!"

"I wonder what it feels like. Is it smooth or rough?"

"Maybe it's similar to an elephant's skin?"

The visitors curiously turned to the animal keeper!

The animal keeper explained with a smile, "Indeed, a hippopotamus' skin is very smooth! Their bodies are covered with a dense epidermis, and the skin is virtually hairless with no pores, except for some short hair on the tail."

Given the hot weather recently, those visiting the elephant pavilion might often see elephants rolling in mud to coat themselves or throwing sand over their bodies after playing with water.

An elephant's skin has many folds, which is beneficial for retaining moisture and not allowing it to evaporate quickly, thus having an enduring cooling effect.

As for the hippopotamus, with its smooth skin exposed to the air, its moisture evaporates swiftly; hence, how to cool down and protect against the sun becomes an issue.

Although hippos lack sweat glands on their skin, they have other glands. When dehydrated for a long time, they secrete a thick red liquid which not only blocks UV rays and prevents insect bites but also moisturizes the skin!

It's somewhat like sunscreen, offering excellent protection for the skin.

When you see a hippopotamus' skin turning red, it's not because of sunburn or bleeding, but because of a 'blood sweat' they secrete themselves."

Of course, the hippo's favorite way to cool down is still to stay underwater! Staying on land for an extended period puts too much strain on their legs, given their massive bodies, so being in the water helps relieve the burden on their limbs."

"Oh~"

The visitors uttered in sudden understanding!

The animal keeper laughed and added, "Does anyone want to touch the hippo?

Don't be fooled by their similarities to Slowpoke from Pokémon, looking goofy and foolish, spending all day in a daze. In reality, hippos are very aggressive! They have a strong territorial instinct, a volatile temper, and may attack any creature they see as an intruder.

In Africa, more people die from hippo attacks each year than from lions, and they are the second most dangerous herbivore after elephants.

We have to be careful with our operations, and everyone should definitely not regard them as docile animals."

"Goodness! You'd never know it to look at them!"

"I had thought hippos were docile!"

Tang Xiaoxin couldn't help saying, "They feel just like pandas! They look cute, but they're actually fierce animals."

Just then, a head quietly surfaced on the water.

Dudu only revealed the very top of its head. If you didn't look closely, it was just a large brown rock on the water!

A pair of bulging little eyes sneakily peeked around, just like a submarine periscope extending out.

With a "puff", it blew its nose, and two columns of water sprayed out of its nostrils, splashing around like two small fountains!

The animal keeper introduced, "This hippo is Dudu! Ah, it's a bit timider, a social anxiety sufferer. It doesn't come up from the water, just stays underneath. It's probably calling for Chubby now!"

Indeed, Chubby, hearing the noise, turned its head towards Dudu and then took small steps down from the bank into the water.

Qian Keke speculated, "Did it come up specifically to take a dump? But a lot of the poop still fell into the water. Can it be comfortable staying in the water like that?"

Tang Xiaoxin thought for a moment and said, "After all, it's its own poop, so it probably doesn't mind, right?"

Qian Keke curled her lip, "Ew!"

She gradually accepted the fact that hippos are quite messy animals.

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As Chubby entered the water, the two hippos sank down together, and the visitors followed towards the underwater walkway.

Tang Xiaoxin and Qian Keke also held hands and went over. Through the clear glass wall, one could clearly see the hippos moving around underwater!

The bank where Chubby had just gone up and down was rather shallow, about a meter deep. Standing at the edge, just the head and back could be exposed, providing a place for the hippos to land and go ashore.

Further inwards, like a cliff's edge next to a waterfall, the water suddenly got much deeper!

Sunshine, penetrating the water's surface, shone into the pool below, casting a shimmering light that danced on the rocks.

Dudu, head down and four little stubby legs curled close to its body, gently floated down.

When close to the bottom, it stretched out its front legs, elegantly tapped the rocks twice, and then with that push, it floated upward again!

With front legs still curled up, while ascending, it did a 270-degree slow barrel roll around its head and tail as the axis, its belly facing towards the glass wall.

Its back legs gently kicked twice, adjusting direction in the water, and drifted to the other side.

Chubby also reached the bottom, lightly pushed off, and elegantly followed behind Dudu.

Wait for me!

As graceful as a startled swan, as vigorous as a dragon swimming!

Although hippos are bulky and cumbersome, seeing them move so gracefully and lightly in the water gave a strangely wonderful sensation!

The two hippos, one over the other, bobbed up and down, chasing each other back and forth.

It was like they were playing a game, or dancing a water ballet, elegantly whirling in the shimmering light, with charming and graceful poses.

Upon seeing this scene, Tang Xiaoxin and Qian Keke couldn't help but widen their eyes and exclaim.

"Oh!!!!"

"Amazing!"

It was their first time seeing hippos swim. They could never have imagined that they would be so agile underwater, much prettier than on land!

The other visitors also hurriedly took out their cameras, clicking away non-stop.