Every year has its breakout stars, and 2024 yielded a bumper crop: Glen Powell, Chappell Roan, Pommel Horse Guy.
But only one had a body that was routinely compared to a potato. She was slippery, she was feisty, she was named after a type of pork meatball. She was, of course, Moo Deng, the pygmy hippo who rocketed to fame so fast that at just 2 months old she inspired a character on “Saturday Night Live.”
She wasn’t the only nonhuman newsmaker this year. Indeed, 2024 was the year that animals seemed to do it all, becoming A-list celebrities, political weapons, and cautionary tales. Along the way, they often served as welcome distractions from the messy human world — but also clear reflections of it. Here is a look at the creatures that broke the internet (and sometimes our hearts) in 2024.
Related on the SLP
