Can a hippo swim ... ?

And what about a penguin ... can it fly? The answer to both those questions: a qualified yes.

Hippos can indeed swim, although they prefer to walk or run instead along the silty bottoms of the rivers and lakes in their central African habitat. And while you might think penguins swim, they technically fly under water. The educational exhibitions we developed for the Berlin Zoo answered these, and many other questions, in ways which inspired visitors of all ages to take another, closer look at the amazing world around us.

We made it possible for people to hear the secret language of hippos, the grunts and the clicks they use to communicate with each other, above and below the surface of the water. We put the mechanics of penguins into motion to show people how they flap their wings – just like their airborne avian cousins – to propel their torpedo-shaped bodies though the icy waters of the southern hemisphere. And we helped visitors distinguish between a seal and a sea lion. Here's an easy tip: one has visible ears, the other doesn't, but don't ask us which does and which doesn't. We can't keep them apart either.