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Meet our Hippopotamuses
"Nakili"
and "Jazi" |
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Hippos have a bulky pig-like
conformation but they are not related to pigs. While a
hippo looks ungainly on land, it swims very well. An adult
stands 4 ½ to 5 feet tall at the shoulder and 10 feet in
length. Adult males may weigh 3,500 to 6,000 pounds and
females over 3,000 pounds. The skin is virtually
hairless. The upper surfaces are purplish gray to
blue-black. The lower surfaces and the skin around the eyes
and ears tend to be pink. Hippos walk on all 4 toes and
have a web between their toes.
There is a lot of individual
variation in the color patterns among hippos.
Nakili came to live
at the Ellen Trout Zoo in November 2001 and Jazi arrived
this year. |
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Nakili
Born in March 1999, she
is named "Nakili" which is the Swahili word for
"copy". She was named this due to her resemblance
to her mother. She weighed 1628 pounds upon arrival
at the Ellen Trout Zoo in 2001. Nakili likes to
roll underwater, lie on the beach, and sleep.
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 "Jazi"
The
newest addition to the hippo herd at the Ellen Trout Zoo is "Jazi".
She was born at the San Diego Zoo on July 7, 2003. Jazi arrived in
Lufkin at 9:30am on May 22 tired and ready to get out of her crate.
She had been on the road for two days. She was greeted by
Lufkin's mayor, Jack Gorden, several members of the press and happy
zoo staff. With help from Glenn Sullivan, Angelina County Expo
Director, a heavy duty forklift was used to move Jazi in her crate
to the hippo barn. When she has had a couple of days to get rested
and settled in we will try to get a weight on her. Jazi will remain
in quarantine for about 30 days before she will be released to the
exhibit and public view.
Watch
the video. |
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