Popular baby pygmy hippo born in the US now has a name after poll drives 100,000 votes

Moo Deng ruled the internet in 2024, but a new baby pygmy hippo may be coming for the crown this new year.

The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia announced the name of its very own baby pygmy hippopotamus on Monday: Poppy. The name was selected after a poll generated more than 116,000 votes across 165 countries, according to a news release.

Poppy, a female calf, was born at Metro Richmond Zoo on Dec. 9, just in time for the holidays. The calf was born to the zoo's Iris and Corwin, and she is the parents' third calf in 4½ years. Five days after her birth, Poppy weighed about 15 pounds, according to a news release. Her name, a flower, is inspired by her mother's.

Poppy's birth was unique: It was Iris' first time giving birth in water, according to a news release. Though most common hippos give birth in water, pygmy hippos also can give birth on land.

Step aside, Moo Deng: Watch this baby pygmy hippo born in Virginia just before Christmas

Iris gave birth to Poppy in the zoo's hippo enclosure indoor pool. Keepers and a few guests were there to witness the birth. The mother-daughter duo returned to their public exhibit, after a month of private bonding, on Jan. 3, according to a news release.

Online voters had four names to choose from: Poppy, Juniper (an evergreen to represent her winter birth), Hammie Mae (a tie to Virginia ham) and Omi ("water" in Yoruba, a language spoken in West Africa).

More hippo hype in 2025?

Talk of pygmy hippos began to circulate online in July 2024 after the birth of Moo Deng at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. Videos and photos of the baby pygmy have garnered millions of views on social media.

In November 2024, Moo Deng even made her voice heard in the U.S. presidential election, casting her "vote" for President-elect Donald Trump. When presented with two fruit baskets, one with Kamala Harris' name and the other with Trump's name, Moo Deng munched and crunched on the Trump cake.

Just a few months after Moo Deng's birth, a female pygmy calf named Haggis claimed social media fame. Born in October 2024, Haggis resides at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo.

Pygmy hippos, thought of as the common hippo's smaller cousin, have been endangered since 2016. They are about half the size of common hippos, weighing less than one-fourth the full size of an adult common hippo. Pygmies are native to West Africa, and their average life expectancy is 27 years.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baby pygmy hippo born at Richmond Zoo now has a name