A Hippopotamus for Christmas? It's a Reality at This Virginia Zoo

The ultimate holiday gift? A hippopotamus, of course.

A female pygmy hippo was welcomed on December 6 at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley, Virginia, providing a (very cute) embodiment of the

classic Christmas tune—and the perfect amount of adorableness to help round out the year.

Born to parents Iris and Corwin, the new addition—who weighed 16 pounds at birth, a number that jumped to 24.2 just one week later—is awaiting a name, with the zoo

soliciting suggestions via Instagram.

Hippos (common and pygmy) are native to

sub-Saharan Africa, where they soak in waters during the day, emerging to snack at night. The mammals have no sweat glands and rely on water and mud to stay cool in the hot Saharan sun.

In spite of their name, which inspires miniature associations, pygmy hippos are

still fairly large, weighing in at 350-600 pounds in adulthood (though, to be fair, this is small when compared to the common hippo's 1.4-5 tons). Pygmies have longer legs and less-webbed digits than common hippos and enjoy a

plant-based diet.

The

IUCN red list currently lists hippos in general as vulnerable due to hunting (ivory can be found in hippo teeth) and habitat loss caused by

climate change and human land use. Recently,

some have called for the species' status to be escalated to endangered, the better to discourage poaching and trade.

Pygmy hippos are deemed less of a target for traditional poaching, but local bushmen are said to hunt the smaller mammal for its meat. As such, ushering a new pygmy hippo into the world is indeed a cause for celebration.

If you need us, we'll be brainstorming names for the little one.