A baby hatchling of Terrance the octopus explores outside its jar in Edmond, Okla., on April 10, 2024. — Michael Noble Jr./The New York Times
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.”
