Pygmy hippo born at Melbourne Zoo

Hippo, hippo, hooray! Melbourne Zoo's pygmy hippo Petre has given birth.

The calf is the first of the endangered species to be born at the zoo since 1981.

Keepers were able to observe the calf's arrival via CCTV just before noon on Monday.

It's the first for father Felix and the fourth for mother Petre.

Petre and her baby, whose gender is still unknown, have spent a few days bonding and feeding in private since the birth.

The zoo vet will attempt to weigh the calf on Wednesday afternoon and check the sex.

The usual length of a pregnancy in pygmy hippos is between 185 and 210 days, so Petre most likely conceived in November last year.