A baby pygmy hippo named Moo Deng has captured global attention with her moist skin and pink and peachy cheeks.
According to The Washington Post, Deng, who was born at the Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand in July, became an internet sensation after her pictures went viral on the internet.
However, the researchers have a surprising explanation behind the fandom of the baby hippo.
A research scientist in evolutionary psychology at the University of Michigan, Daniel Kruger, said, “When we see these infantile features, those big eyes, large foreheads, small chins, and pudgy bodies, we interpret that as helplessness and as dependency, and it motivates us to care for them.”
He explained, “Humans in particular, we’re strongly selected to have these caretaking reactions to cuteness just because our infants are so helpless, just imagine at what age a child would actually be able to fend for itself if there were no adults around.”
The researcher described that humans have ‘really strong caretaking reactions’ for their own survival, which is why they tried to interpret these reactions onto other creatures.
Kruger noted that nurturing reactions sparked in the people for the semi-precocial animal species, and this is the reason why people are reacting with so much love for the baby hippo.
