Hippo’s ‘snooze bubbles’ at Texas zoo captivate internet. ‘You’re adorable Timothy’

A hippopotamus at the San Antonio Zoo has won over the internet with its adorable underwater sleeping routine.

Video shared on Tuesday, Nov. 8, by the zoo shows Timothy taking an underwater snooze as bubbles escape one of his nostrils.

“Timothy’s snooze bubbles are way too cute!” the zoo said in its Facebook post.

Hippos can hold their breath underwater for up to five minutes, letting them sleep as they’re submerged. According to the San Diego Zoo, hippos have a reflex that “allows them to bob up, take a breath, and sink back down without waking up.”

The video shared by the zoo is reminiscent of a 2020 video of Fiona, the internet famous hippo from the Cincinnati Zoo. Like Timothy, Fiona was shown to be snoozing underwater with bubbles escaping one of her nostrils.

“He is probably dreaming of Fiona,” one person commented on Timothy’s video.

It’s unclear why Timothy’s “snooze bubbles” were only being emitted through one nostril, but a report in the American Association for Anatomy details why the action occurs.

“Occasionally, a small stream of bubbles may be seen leaking from the nostrils when the hippo is submerged,” the report states. “This may facilitate evacuating air ahead of reaching the surface to minimize time spent at the surface.”

Timothy has quite the following, with more than 12,000 people subscribed to his Facebook page operated by the zoo.

And as one commenter said, “even international superstars have to rest.”

“You’re adorable Timothy,” one woman said.

“He’s so cute snoozing away,” said another commenter.

This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 1:28 PM.