Mommy hippopotamus Boipelo gives birth to the “much-anticipated” baby hippo according to a Dallas Morning News article. They say,

“The Dallas Zoo announced the birth of a “much-anticipated” baby hippopotamus on social media Monday. 

The zoo said mom Boipelo welcomed the healthy calf around 5:30 p.m. Oct. 30.

“Both are doing well and have been bonding behind the scenes,” the zoo said on Twitter.”

The baby hippo was born underwater and it took around two and half hours according to a People article. They say,

“After two and half hours of labor — a length the Texas zoo said is “average” for a hippo birth — Boipelo gave birth to the calf underwater, which is also typical for the mammal.

Boipelo started showing signs of labor early in the afternoon on Oct. 30. The Dallas Zoo, which had been monitoring the mother hippo closely for weeks, was prepared for the birth, CBSDFW reported. The outlet added that the delivery was private — monitored by a camera — and that the calf was delivered “smoothly.””

The baby hippo remains unnamed for now. The announcement was posted on social media which can be found here.