Furtastic Series Banner

Fiona the Hippo celebrates her big 1,000 pound milestone

It's big, brave new world for the world famous hippo.
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
Fiona the Hippo celebrates her big 1,000 pound milestone
Get that bread, Fiona! Credit: John Minchillo/AP/REX/Shutterstock

The world's most beloved hippo, Fiona, celebrated the holidays just like we do: by watching the scales closely.

The Cincinnati Zoo's famous hippo has officially topped 1,000 pounds, up from a whopping 770-ish pounds from her Jan. 2017 premature birth weight of 29 pounds.

Fiona still has quite a ways to go: The average adult female hippo can weigh close to 3,000 pounds. But the milestone is still a pretty big deal, big enough that the zoo held a special 1K Walk in early Dec. as Fiona closed in on the big four-digit mark.

Senior Keeper Jenna Wingate told Cincinnati Public Radio that the milestone is definitely a big sentimental marker given Fiona's premature birth.

"Fiona becoming 1,000 pounds is a big deal to us because we didn't know if she would survive in the first place. Starting out at 29 pounds when they're typically 50 to 100 pounds, it is a big deal that she's been gaining and increasing and becoming a regular hippo and growing as other hippo calves do."

This is all very good news for many reasons but also because it means Fiona is in great health heading into this year's NFL playoffs where she has the chance to repeat her 2018 feat of correctly predicting the Super Bowl.

And, in case you were wondering, Fiona's second birthday is quickly approaching -- Jan. 24, 2019 -- which you can get excited for by revisiting the big shindig she had for her first birthday.

Topics Animals

Mashable Image
Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mashable Potato

More from Furtastic

Recommended For You

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!