Seven year old hipopotamus Mafalda, nurses her 7-day old baby at Buenos Aires, Zoo. Zookepeers have been unable to determine the sex of the newborn, the newest member of the Argentine zoo.Although hippos were native to lagoons and rivers in Europe, Asia and Africa, now they remain only in remote parts of Africa and are close to extinction.
Hippos swim and run quickly, much faster than humans. They live to be up to 40 years old, weighing up to 3,600 kilograms (7,900 pounds) and measuring up to 4 meters (13 feet) in length.
Mafalda open its mouth while nursing its seven-day-old baby in the Argentina's Buenos Aires Zoo, on November 25, 2004. Zoo veterinarians, who said the name of the 30-kilogram baby hippo will be picked in a contest, have not identified it's gender. Visiting children will get the customary honor of naming the baby after zoo officials conclusively determine the gender.
Thursday, Nov. 25, 2004.
Photos by Natacha Pisarenko and Enrique Marcarian
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