Japan's Osaka Tennoji Zoo uncovers hippo's gender after 7 years

Zoo discovered its male hippopotamus is, in fact, female after DNA test

Hippo named as Gen-chan never exhibited typical male behaviors

A startling revelation has emerged from Japan’s Osaka Tennoji Zoo as they discovered their male hippopotamus is, in fact, female. Named Gen-chan, the hippo had been a resident of the zoo for seven years before a recent DNA test uncovered the truth, as reported by CBS News.

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The zoo disclosed this surprising news via their website, tracing back the hippo’s origins to its acquisition from Mexico’s African Safari in 2017, at the age of 5. “The animal was only 5 years old at the time and was still a child. We had no doubts,” the zoo’s post conveyed.

Despite being introduced to the public as a male, the zoo clarified that Gen-chan never exhibited typical male behaviors, such as tail-whipping during defecation or making courtship calls to females, as reported by AFP.

In light of this revelation, the zoo emphasized the necessity of reconfirming the sex of introduced animals and pledged to take preventative measures to avoid such errors in the future. They also assured their commitment to providing a comfortable environment for Gen-chan, urging visitors to continue supporting and observing the unexpected female hippo.