Berlin, Germany: December 16 2008: A baby hippopotamus swims with her mother on her first day in the public eye at Berlin Zoo. She was born on November 29Photograph: Michael Kappeler/Getty ImagesThe calf was kept away from the other hippos in the zoo for the first two weeks of her life, while she bonded with her mother. In the wild hippos are gregarious, and live in groups of up to 40Photograph: Michael Kappeler/AFP/Getty ImagesFemale hippos reach sexual maturity at five to six years old and have a gestation period of eight months. Baby hippos are born underwater and must swim to the surface to take their first breath. Calfs rest on their mother's back when in deep water and swim underwater to sucklePhotograph: Michael Kappeler/AFP/Getty Images
Hippos have been popular zoo animals since the first captive hippo, called Obaysch, arrived at London Zoo in 1850. Obaysch attracted 10,000 visitors a day and inspired a popular song, the Hippopotamus Polka. The calf is not the first animal to catch the public's attention at Berlin Zoo - in 2006 Knut the polar bear won worldwide attention when the zoo decided to hand rear the cubPhotograph: Michael Kappeler/AFP/Getty ImagesHippos were widespread in north Africa and Europe before the last ice age, and can live in colder climates provided the water does not freeze. They were declared a vulnerable species in 2006 when the population was estimated to be between 125,000 to 150,000, a decline of 7% in 10 years. Adult hippos grow to weigh two tonnesPhotograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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