Begemots

Hippo's friend Elena sent photos of a hippopotamus (begemot) she found grazing on snowflakes in Moscow, Russia.

Note from Hippo: It may be short-sleeve weather in America, but Russia is on the other side of the world so it's cold and snowy there.

He wonders if they'll migrate over here when the seasons change.

Too hot for hippos

My apologies to all hippo-fans and Friends of Hippo for taking so long between posts.  I've been so busy, and  it has been too hot to go on my usual outings and adventures. 

Between bouts of sitting in front of the air conditioner sipping lemonade and eating popsicles, I've been trying to look after an unwell member of our little hippo-pod.  Hopefully, he is on the mend and we will start taking field trips again, soon. 

Dressing in my doctor duds probably helps him heal faster.

In the meantime, think cool thoughts!

Thawing out the Zoo

Hippo stayed warm indoors during the blizzards. But now that the snow is melting, he took Aurora out for a stroll through the zoo.

Looks like the sloth bears haven't shoveled their walking paths yet. So lazy...

The elephant walk is very pretty under a blanket of snow. But it'd look even better with some snow elephants.

Poor Bronze panda hasn't had his ears scritched or snout rubbed in a week.

Momma panda is happily munching in the sunshine.

Frankie's Weather Report

During the Snowpocalypse of 2010, Frankie went outside to report on the weather.

The snow is five hippos deep and the temperature is two chills and a shiver. If you're going outside, bundle up!

The cars are hibernating. We'd better travel by foot.

Ludwig was hoping to visit the animals in the zoo, but nobody shoveled their sidewalk yet. We hope they have some good cartoons to watch and hot chocolate to warm up with.

The humans are sliding down a hill and struggling to climb back up. They probably wouldn't fall so fast if they didn't sit on those sheets of plastic.

Nature is very pretty when she puts her snow on.

It's unusually quiet and peaceful in the big city today. Maybe there will be more activity down this way.

The kids were starting up a snowball fight. Ludwig ducked behind a bush for a quick snapshot and then scurried off to safety.

The snowmen are growing fat this winter. They must be getting ready for a long, hot summer.

The Great Snow-pocalypse of 2010

I've heard the "staff" grumbling something about "H-E-double hockey sticks freezing over," but the rest of our little hippo bloat thinks the snow is pretty.



Aurora especially likes to play outside in the snow. She built her own little snow hippo friend.



Aurora also likes kitties and was very impressed by a snow kitty she saw on her walk.



Brrrr! Aurora got kind of cold and wet after a while, so she stopped for some coffee to warm up.



I wonder what all the other hippos were up to during the blizzard?!?!

Message in the Snow

Hipp-snow-potamus

Brrrr! Opie wished for snow for Christmas, but Santa seemed to have gotten a little carried away!



Horatio is trying to see how much snow fell.



Look at those snowdrifts!




My tiny friend Aurora said she was going outside to try her new hat, but I can't find her.



There she is! She can't wait to build a snow hippo and then warm her toes with some hot chocolate.



Happy snow day!

Holly

Hippo's new friend Holly sent holiday greetings from snowy Ann Arbor, Michigan.

She wanted to show Hippo what the University of Michigan campus looks like in cold weather. There's a definite lack of salsa dancing hippopotamuses on the plaza.

But Triton and the kids are still playing in the fountain.

Holly tried to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

Then she warmed up with a fresh Mexican lunch.

Holly nuzzled a puma on the way into the Exhibit Museum of Natural History.

There she learned how hippopotamuses are related to whales. An animal called Artiodactyl began adapting to an aquatic habitat 55 million years ago. Some of its descendants evolved into swimming hunters which later became whales and dolphins. Others evolved into wading grazers like the hippopotamus.

Holly is a beautiful example of Hippopotamus amphibius.

She left an impression on Ann Arbor by making hippo prints in the snow.

Winter at the National Zoo

Hippo and I took a break from our artwork to go for a walk in the snow.


There weren't many humans around, but plenty of animals. Hey, wanna make snowmonkeys?


It's a little chilly without my hat. Thanks for keeping me warm.


The best part about playing in the snow is getting hot chocolate afterwards.

First snow

On Monday night Hippo got an early Christmas present to prepare for the winter festivities: a scarf, a hat, and mittens! They are colored in Spartan Green & White and Wolverine Maize & Blue, his four most favoritest colors.

So last night he wore his pajamas inside out and went to bed still wearing the hat and mittens. And this morning... SNOW! Time to try out Hippo's winter apparel.

This season, fringe is in. Fringe on the scarf, fringe on the tasseled cheek warmers, and poofy fringed cap top. Knit mittens keep delicate paws warm on blustery winter days and chilly winter nights.

Hippo has noticed that Santa is sending out delivery vans to get a head start on his Christmas Eve deliveries. Most of the packages so far were addressed to Amazon or Fedex. They must be a snake and a dog that live in our building. He's keeping his eyes peeled for a big truck labeled HIPPO.

All this modeling and waiting made Hippo hungry, so he tried catching a few snowflakes on his tongue as a little snack.