Mahali is a 13 year old teenage hippo, son of the famous Bert who sired over 30 children and was the longest living resident of Denver Zoo.â?¯ Mahaliâ?¯ is Swahili for “Spots” that he has on his back legs.â?¯ He is quite the character and likes to show off how tough he is.â?¯ He just recently learned how to paint, joining the rest of our animal artists at the Zoo.