I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 613 - 612: The Escaping Rabbit

"This water-averse Gold Spotted Beast in the Journey to the West must be a hippopotamus!"

"Wow, pigs can fly now!"

"Elegance never goes out of style!"

"I've always been curious, why is it called a hippopotamus and not a river pig! It doesn't look like a horse at all."

"Then think about seahorses, they look even less like horses."

"...I am at a loss for words!"

The tourists discussed animatedly among themselves.

Watching such a two to three-ton Chubby move gracefully through the water was indeed an amusing experience.

Excited, a child called out to their parent, "Mama! Mama! Take a picture of me!"

While chasing the hippopotamus, the child signaled to their parent to take a photo with the hippo in the background.

The mother laughed, "Got it, got it!"

The animal keeper also came to the underwater corridor and explained to the nearby tourists using a headset, "Is a hippopotamus truly a horse that lives in the river, or a pig? In fact, it is neither! Hippopotamuses are actually distant relatives of whales."

Tang Xiaoxin exclaimed in surprise, "Eh?"

Looking at the hippopotamus's round and chubby figure with its stubby limbs, it seemed more believable to call it a pig's relative, rather than a whale's, which was too far a stretch.

The animal keeper laughed, "Surprising, isn't it? A long time ago, hippos and whales shared the same ancestor. In the long process of evolution, some adapted to life in the sea, becoming whales, while those better suited for land became hippos.

The most direct similarity between hippos and whales as relatives is that, although they can dive underwater, they must breathe at the water's surface; they cannot breathe underwater!

Hippos' eyes, nostrils, and ears are almost all located on the top of their heads, almost on the same plane. Moreover, their nostrils and ear canals have a set of valve-like, flexible muscles.

Usually, hippos submerge their bodies in the water, exposing only their ears, eyes, and nostrils above the surface. This way, they can breathe normally and detect any danger without being noticed by predators.

When hippos dive, this 'valve system' automatically closes, sealing the nostrils and ear canals, like a waterproof cover, keeping water out and ensuring the nostrils and ear canals stay clean and dry.

About every three to five minutes, they surface to take a breath, and can dive for up to half an hour!

Moreover, underwater, with their closed air passages, they can make 'buzzing' and 'tick-tock' noises. Through these sounds, hippos can communicate with their companions. The sound can travel far and convey much information, such as location, territorial boundaries, nearby resources, and so on.

This mode of communication is similar to how whales communicate."

After listening to the explanation, the surrounding tourists expressed their amazement.

"Wow~"

"I've never thought about how they breathe underwater! Such unique animals!"

"Half an hour of diving, their lung capacity must be huge!"

"The fact that hippos and whales are relatives is rocking my mom for the whole year!"

The animal keeper said, "So although hippos are always in the water, they can only dive, not swim! They move forward by pushing off the river bottom and jumping. It's more like walking in water than swimming, you can observe this if you pay attention."

Tang Xiaoxin turned her gaze to the water where Chubby happened to be preparing to come up for air.

Chubby floated beneath the rocky cliff at the shore, extended its limbs like anchors to steady itself, then crouched down slightly, and with a gentle touch of the front legs followed by a strong push from the back legs!

Its enormous body suddenly soared lightly upwards, floating towards the surface.

Once over the rocky cliff, with a few gentle scrapes of the front limbs, it moved to a shallow area; one could only vaguely see its behind from there.

"Oh!!!!"

"That's impressive!"

Dudu was quietly motionless, continuously submerged underwater, lying on a stone as if sleeping.

Tang Xiaoxin looked at its contented appearance and even felt a bit envious!

On a hot summer day, it must be comfortable to soak in the cool water like that all the time, truly a great enjoyment.

Chubby surfaced to catch a breath, then started walking lightly on the rock face.

Suddenly, it missed a step!

It seemed somewhat panicked, its head swinging ceaselessly above the water, slowly sinking, its four short legs flailing vigorously in the water, and its body twisting and turning!

"Wow!"

The tourists, seeing Chubby struggling in panic, also burst into nervous exclamations!

However, Chubby twisted its body, adjusted the angle, and its posture became parallel to the bottom of the water, instantly much more stable.

It slowly descended toward the bottom, leisurely strolling around.

Upon seeing this, Tang Xiaoxin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled relaxedly, clapping happily, "Good job!"

The hippo's underwater behavior was indeed fascinating and charming!

The two of them watched with great interest for quite a while.

...

After a day of strolling the zoo, they were completely satisfied!

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When they reached the small farm, they noticed a bunch of kids squatting on the grass, gently stroking the fluffy rabbits by the fence.

The shorn alpacas wandered leisurely and comfortably in the play area.

After such a long time, Brother Aotian had also regained his usual demeanor; now, he was sitting in a corner with a rebellious fringe, looking as if he was deeply pondering the philosophy of a sheep's life.

Qian Keke waved cheerfully, "Brother Aotian!"

Brother Aotian turned to look at them, then disdainfully turned his head away.

Along the roadside, the rice fields had turned a golden yellow too, appearing heavily laden and drooping downwards.

Tang Xiaoxin looked at the rice fields, searching for the rice she had planted, and exclaimed with delight, "Wow, they've grown so strong! They should be ready to harvest soon, right?"

Qian Keke said with anticipation, "I wonder how they taste. After harvesting, let's cook a pot of rice!"

Before leaving, the two visited the souvenir shop for a browse!

Seeing the eye-catching red-crowned crane-themed stationery gift sets at the entrance, their eyes immediately lit up.

Previously, some classmates at school had this set of stationery, and they were incredibly envious, unable to resist the allure of such exquisite stationery!

Moreover, they were both loyal fans of the zoo, and one of their goals for visiting the zoo today was to buy a set of stationery.

They hurriedly each grabbed a gift set, feeling delightful and continued looking at other newly released souvenirs.

As they were choosing souvenirs, Tang Xiaoxin felt something at her feet.

She instinctively looked down to see a fuzzy brown rabbit that hopped away in front of her.

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Huh?"

The rabbit hopped onto a shelf next to it, which was laden with many fuzzy animal plushies, and sat still pretending to be a plushie.

However, a young woman in an animal keeper uniform came up behind and glanced down, scooping it up in one swift move.

Hand of Noxus E skill!

The rabbit, being held, behaved very docilely and didn't resist, and was carried away like that.

Seeing this scene, Qian Keke couldn't help but laugh, "Haha, jailbreak failed!"

Tang Xiaoxin found it amusing, "There aren't even any rabbit plushies in the souvenir shop, it was spotted right away."