To this day, Florence is home to a taxidermized hippopotamus in the zoological collection of La Specola, the natural history museum founded in 1775 by Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Habsburg-Lorraine (1747–1792). The specimen was previously owned by the Medici family as part of the extensive grand ducal collections. The present chapter examines how the hippopotamus came to be in the Grand Ducal possession and to what extent the role of „exotic“ animals in princely representation underwent a change from the 17th to the 18th century. First, the article will outline the role of exotic animals at the early modern court and their public appeal in the 18th century using the example of Clara the Rhinoceros (1738–1758). The focus then moves to the specimen and two conflicting approaches to researching its origins, in which a similar specimen belonging to the Gonzaga family and painted by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) plays a role. Finally, the transformation in the princely representation is illustrated by a change in the logic of collecting, parallel to the change of dynasty. The hippopotamus specimen reveals networks of researchers, princes and artists, and serves as a remarkable object of identification for the natural science collection in Florence to this day.