There appears to be something universal about the “mom stare.”
A video of a funny interaction between a baby hippo and his mother has gone viral, racking up over 4.6 million likes as social media users compare the moment to a standoff between a toddler and his mom.
In a TikTok shared by Tanganyika Wildlife Park, located in Goddard, Kansas, 5-week-old pygmy hippopotamus calf Mars is seen refusing to get out of a pool until his mom, Posie, has to step in.
“Us telling mars it’s time to get out of the pool VS his mom telling him it’s time to get out,” text over the video says, while the caption reads, “Better listen to mom!”
The clip begins with Mars being assisted out of the pool by a zookeeper, signaling play time is over. The wiggly hippo, however, escapes and runs back into the water. While he happily returns to his swim, the camera pans to Posie, who gives the baby hippo “the stare.”
Mars then hops out of the water and follows his mom out of the area.
The zoo’s Curator of Research and Welfare, Dr. Samantha Russak, tells TODAY.com, “This is a pretty common occurrence at the end of the day.”
The hippos stay indoors overnight and getting Mars inside has been a struggle. The adult hippos, Russak says, know that they will be fed when they go inside, so they easily go in. But Mars is still nursing off of Posie and won’t eat more solid food for at least two months. “So he’s less motivated to go inside because we have food that he’s not ready to eat yet,” she explains.
Born June 26, Mars is about 40 pounds and covered with a mucus-like substance called “blood sweat,” Russak says. “It’s a secretion that helps keep their skin from drying out and also helps prevent sunburn. But basically that makes him like a greasy avocado.”
“So between his size and that secretion, it’s really hard to pick him up and just carry him inside. So we found that we can call mom back out, or if mom is getting impatient because she wants to go inside, she’ll turn around and give kind of small little grunts,” she continues. “It seems to be universal. Moms everywhere just have that power over babies. I saw someone comment and say, ‘She must have used his full three names.’”
People in the comments couldn’t help but compare Posie’s reaction to that of a human mom with her own toddler. Many mentioned the “mom stare,” an expression mothers use to communicate with their kids without speaking. It is typically needed when children are misbehaving or when moms have to assert their authority.
Thousands flocked to a Thai zoo to celebrate the first birthday of Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo that became a social media sensation in 2024.
“The ‘mom stare’ is universal in every species,” one person wrote.
Another added, “She gave him the look.”
Others imagined what Posie possibly communicated to Mars to get him out of the pool.
“I know you heard that lady tell you come out the water,” one person wrote from Posie’s perspective.
“Mars potato jones get out of the water now,” another commented.
A third wrote, “Mom: 1, 2… Baby: ok, mom * stares: you snitch…”
“Mom: ‘I’m gonna turn around and start walking, if I look back and you aren’t out of that pool and right behind me, we’re gonna have a problem, k?’” one TikTok user joked.
Another added, “So, toddlers or all species are the same.”
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