Happy Birthday, Fiona the Hippo! We Did Your Full Birth Chart

Fiona may not know about the problems afflicting the world, yet, through her thriving existence (and the subsequent adorable memes), she consistently brings joy to those in troubled times.

In honor of Fiona’s birthday, we at Broadly want to learn everything about this inspiring icon—and what better way to do that than by reading her astrological birth chart? We spoke with Fiona’s caretakers and our resident astrologer Annabel Gat to gain insight into this remarkable hippo.

While many already know that Fiona’s January 24 birthday makes her an Aquarius (an air sign), mapping a birth chart requires the exact time and place of birth. Luckily, the Cincinnati Zoo told Broadly that Fiona was born at 2:58 AM at their facility.

"She’s a rebel," Broadly staff astrologer Annabel Gat said immediately after looking at Fiona’s chart. "She’s an Aquarius, which is one of the most free-thinking signs in the zodiac."

Christina Gorsuch is the Cincinnati Zoo’s curator of mammals and was one of the first people to see and hold Fiona when she was born. Gorsuch, who acts as the coach for #TeamFiona by coordinating resources, personnel, and care, agreed with Gat’s analysis, telling Broadly over email, "She has been curious her whole life and her fearlessness is in part the source of her strength and ability to conquer all adversity."

The adversity Fiona has conquered is pretty obvious: While baby hippos are supposed to weigh between 55 and 120 pounds, she was born six weeks early, weighing in at only 29 pounds. After her premature birth, Fiona couldn't stand on her own and required bottle feeding—and one month later, she even required feeding through IV. Millions of people tuned in to Fiona’s Facebook page to watch, enchanted by the semiaquatic mammal.

According to Gat, these early hardships can be explained by the Uranus, Pluto, and Jupiter T-square on Fiona’s chart. With this formation, Gat predicts, "She’s going to be facing a lot of tough challenges in her life."

While it seems like Fiona’s already faced enough obstacles, this planetary trio making up her T-square ensures that there will be more to come. Luckily for Fiona, her Uranus, Pluto, and Jupiter T-square "also gives her a strong rebellious streak, allowing her to find unique and powerful ways to overcome [challenges]," said Gat. "If she were a person she would want to change the world, and that’s exactly what she’s doing as a hippo."

Fiona’s chart also reveals that she has Scorpio rising. "This makes her seem very enigmatic. She can be a little hard to read, making her someone people are very intrigued by," said Gat, instantly explaining why Fiona is the Cincinnati Zoo’s biggest star. (The zoo’s vice president of marketing once told to The New York Times, "I feel like I represent Beyoncé.")

"People want to get to know her better," Gat said of Fiona—which is also true about Beyoncé.

While Fiona’s Scorpio rising brings very serious vibes into her chart, "She is definitely an extrovert," wrote Gorsuch. "She loves socializing with humans and hippos alike." Last weekend, during Fiona’s birthday celebration at the zoo, lucky visitors and well-wishers witnessed Fiona’s extroversion firsthand, watching her eat a bright pink and green hippo-friendly cake decorated with watermelon.

"Fiona can definitely be strong-willed," said Gorsuch, which Gat believes is explained by Fiona’s Mercury conjunct Pluto. "This again speaks to her inquisitiveness, but also means she has a very powerful mind, which translates to being very good at persuasion," said Gat. Certainly, Fiona's powers of persuasion have already been proven—she’s convinced the whole world to fall in love with her.