Remember the Hippo and the Tortoise after the Tsunami of 2004?

[Synnical]

Well, they're still together.

Here's something to make you smile.

Snopes for background: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/hippo.asp

Updates here from the carekeepers:

Owen and Mzee's Web Log:
http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/main/blog.php



Owen and Mzee on an evening walk





(They've introduced a 13-year old female hippo named Cleo into the environment . . .)


While Cleo is walking around her enclosure she usually stops and puts her muzzle on different objects.Hippos have very big and heavy heads. The water usually helps them support all that weight. That is why, on land, hippos sometimes rest their heads on different things. They rest their heads on branches, rocks and sometimes on the ground. Here is a picture of Cleo resting her head on a her tub.



Owen is growing bigger now, and so is his head! I saw him do something really funny the other day. He was walking around the enclosure in the afternoon with Mzee. When Mzee stopped, He rested his head on Mzee’s shell. Mzee did not seem to mind it and Owen looked quite comfortable.

[lizziegrace]

1. Thank you!

What a wonderful story and such terrific photos. I needed this smile.

:)

[Synnical]

2. Me, too. Really, really needed that smile

:hi:

[Flaxbee]

3. awww, thank you. I think of them sometimes and

am glad to have an update.

I'll bookmark the site!

[havocmom]

4. OMG the drawing from the little girl who just lost her puppy...

she drew it as a dog angel watching over Mzee and Owen!

Priceless.

[Synnical]

6. Indeed - makes you smile, makes you cry

I know. I know.

:hi:

[AlCzervik]

5. Thank you, you just made my night!

[pitohui]

7. and now for the rest of the story...

seriously i'm glad to know this, you made my day!

[blues90]

8. It really makes you wonder

I recall seeing this a while back . What struck me this time is how amazing , here are two animals that come from completely different species and yet they don't see the difference and instead count on and trust eachother which makes then more advanced than humans and a hell of alot more tolerant .

[Dangerously Amused]

9. Oh how sweet! And I was just thinking of them the other day, too.

Thanks for sharing.


:hug:

[BlueIris]

10. kick. I was just thinking about them tonight.

[xchrom]

11. ...

:loveya:

[Synnical]

12. The Web Log was updated today

http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/main/blog.php

Owen is over two and half years old now and his mouth is quite big, but not even close to the size of the larger hippos.I thought it would be interesting to compare Owen's yawn to that of Cleo and Potty's.

Owen yawning, Mzee in the background.

http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/lib/tiny_mce/plugins/advimage/storage/Owen%20yawn%20,%20Mzee%20behind.jpg

To respond to a few comments, a hippos teeth are actually quite sharp. How does a hippo keep its teeth sharp? When a hippo closes its mouth, some of its teeth grate against each other, acting as a sharpener, keeping its teeth pointed and sharp. You can probably see this from the pictures below.

Cleo yawning

[Scout1071]

13. Turtles are so prehistoric looking.

Those pics are great.