Baby Hippo’s Adorable Zoomies Are Making Everyone Need a Nap originally appeared on PetHelpful.

If you’re on social media often and enjoy watching videos of baby animals doing their thing, chances are you’ve come across this feisty little pygmy hippo named Mars who lives at the Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas. He might be little still, but he has a huge personality!

Make sure your sound is on when you watch Mars’ zoomies, something fans have been begging the park to share. Even if you haven’t seen Mars before, it quickly becomes clear he’s a huge ball of energy who loves being the center of attention!

This was just adorable, and the accompanying sound fit in perfectly! Fans of Tanganyika’s video left hundreds of comments about it, and some of them were pretty cute. One commenter swooned, “Faster than the speed of light. Squishier than a sack of wet marshmallows. I am Mars!” @Amanda Bose added, “Zoomies? A potato can zoom? LOL! I love Mars!”

Other commenters joked about Mars’ speed, too, but for a different reason. Mars doesn’t like having to go into his enclosure when playtime is over, so he turns into a very stubborn little hippo. @Kristin O’Leary pointed out, “Fast except when it’s time to go inside.” Another commenter agreed and added, “But when it’s time to come inside, all of a sudden Mars forgets how to walk.” @Jessika made us laugh when she said, “He’s like I’m so fast you can’t get me. Time to go inside? What are legs? LOL!”

Related: Baby Hippo Trying to Chomp on a Whole Papaya at the Cincinnati Zoo Is Cuteness Overload

More About Pygmy Hippos

Tanganyika shared more about little Mars in the video’s caption, “Don’t let the “pygmy” in their name fool you, these little tanks can run up to 20 mph on land. That’s faster than most humans!”

The Park also added, “So…why so small? Pygmy hippos are a different species from the common hippo. Instead of life in huge river herds, they live solo in the dense forests and swamps of West Africa. A smaller size makes it easier to move through thick vegetation and hide from predators. They’re living proof that sometimes being small is a big advantage.”

But small is a relative word. Pygmy hippos typically weigh between 400 to 600 pounds and can reach a length of about 4.5 to 5.5 feet. He might be small right now, but Mars is going to grow into a big guy by the time he is seven years old or so!

Baby Hippo’s Adorable Zoomies Are Making Everyone Need a Nap first appeared on PetHelpful on Aug 13, 2025

This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.