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Dallas zoo has welcomed an adorable new arrival- a baby hippopotamus. 

Sweet footage filmed by staff shows the newborn bonding with its mom after its birth at around 5.30pm on October 30.

In the water, the calf, whose name has not yet been announced, was seen nursing within an hour of its birth as it got to know its mom.

Looking pink and wrinkly, it then took its first tentative steps and sniffed the ground curiously.

It soon decided to have a lie down near its mom, while she ate some grass.  

Sweet footage filmed by staff shows the newborn bonding with its mom after its birth at around 5.30pm on October 30

Sweet footage filmed by staff shows the newborn bonding with its mom after its birth at around 5.30pm on October 30

In the water, the calf, whose name has not yet been announced, was seen nursing within an hour of its birth as it got to know its mom. Looking pink and wrinkly, it then took its first tentative steps and sniffed the ground curiously

In the water, the calf, whose name has not yet been announced, was seen nursing within an hour of its birth as it got to know its mom. Looking pink and wrinkly, it then took its first tentative steps and sniffed the ground curiously

The baby’s mom Boipelo had been in labor for two-and-a-half hours, which is average for hippos, and gave birth to the calf underwater. 

Her labor was private but the zoo monitored it with a camera, taking a video of the moment the calf was born.  

Dallas Zoo said that the calf was delivered ‘smoothly’- they had been monitoring the mom for weeks and were prepared for her to give birth. 

They noticed that in the afternoon of October 30 she began showing signs of labor. 

The zoo tweeted: ‘We are thrilled to announce the arrival of a much-anticipated baby hippopotamus to your Dallas Zoo family.

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‘Both are doing well and have been bonding behind the scenes.’

The mom has another child, Adanna, a female, who is three. CBSDFW reported that in several weeks, the calf will debut in habitat with them.  

Updates about the new baby will be shared on social media.   

The baby's mom Boipelo had been in labor for two-and-a-half hours, which is average for hippos, and gave birth to the calf underwater

The baby’s mom Boipelo had been in labor for two-and-a-half hours, which is average for hippos, and gave birth to the calf underwater

Her labor was private but the zoo monitored it with a camera, taking a video of the moment the calf was born

Her labor was private but the zoo monitored it with a camera, taking a video of the moment the calf was born

It comes after another sweet moment earlier this year, in which a big sister hippo met her days-old little brother for the very first time.

Fritz was born at Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio, with footage posted by zookeepers showing his shiny pink skin as smooth as silk. 

But older sis Fiona doesn’t seem jealous of the attention Fritz is getting from their mother Bibi.

In fact, she seems thrilled as she greets the new member of the family from inside her cage.

They were then filmed swimming together and playing outside.

The zoo’s animal care director Christina Gorsuch said: ‘This first intro went very well. [Mom] Bibi was appropriately protective of Fritz but was not aggressive toward Fiona.

‘The exposure was brief but a great first step.

[Fiona] took took her cues from her mom … and backed off when Fritz got almost close enough for a nose boop.’

‘We will continue to put Fiona, Fritz, and Bibi together for short periods until we’re confident that the three are comfortable together.

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‘The next step will then be to add [father] Tucker to the mix. We don’t have an exact timeline for when that will happen.’ 

Stocky Fritz already weighed an incredible 138lbs on August 23, three weeks after his birth on August 2.

By contrast Fiona, five, weighed just 25lbs, a new lowest weight ever recorded for her species.

Named after the Shrek heroine because of her little ears, Fiona was born at the zoo in January 2017 – six weeks premature.

Last year Fiona was filmed napping underwater in her tank – and snoring out bubbles.

Hippos can close their nostrils and hold their breath for more than five minutes while submerged, even sleeping underwater.

The massive herbivores use a reflex which raises them up for a breath of air without waking up.

Speaking last year, Cincinnati Zoo director Thayne Maynard said: ‘Fiona won the hearts of Cincinnatians when she fought to survive after being born six weeks early and terribly underweight.

‘Three years later, people all over the world are still crazy about this normal, healthy hippo.’

He added: ‘She has taught us a lot.’

A zoo staffer hand-milked her mother Bibi, and Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington helped develop a special formula. 

Nurses from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital were even enlisted to put in a hippo IV as part of the miraculous effort to save baby Fiona.

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