ZooBorns

Smile and Say Cheetah!

Johari, a 2-month-old African cheetah, shows off her pearly whites at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park today! This cub and three others from another litter are being hand raised by zoo staff.

Alien or Aardvark?

This newborn aardvark at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo most certainly wins the award for wrinkliest baby ever featured on ZooBorns. Weighing just 5 lbs, this little calf might eventually reach as much as 125 lbs. We hope by then he has grown into his skin. 

A scampering baby aardvark

Before signing on Brad Pitt, this baby aardvark was slated to play Benjamin Button

Watch him wiggle his snout and scamper

What's a Coati?

Closely related to racoons, the Coati Mundi is a curious, clever, and affectionate critter. These photos were taken last week at Germany's Darmstadt Zoo. Coatis use special postures to communicate like hiding their long nose between the front paws as a sign of submission or lowering the head, baring their teeth and hopping about to signal aggresion. Coincidentally, that's also how I start a fight.

Photo credits: Joachim Mueller

Sumatran Tiger Cubs Frolic in Dublin

12,000 - 6,000 years ago, the Sumatran tiger was isolated from the mainland population and has since developed into the smallest subspecies of tiger. While the actual population is unknown, it is believed that only 100-400 Sumatran tigers survive today in the wild. However, two more now exist at the Dublin Zoo and they have a very doting mom.

A cub gets a bath, tiger-style. Mom's tongue = size of cub's head

A South American Tapir in King Arthur's Court

This beautifully camouflaged baby tapir was recently born at the UK's Marwell Zoo. Also known as the Brazilian Tapir (or ALF on 1980's American TV), the South American Tapir uses its mobile snout to hunt for its all-veggie diet of leaves, buds and twigs. 

Splish Splash, Luk Chai in the Bath

While mum Thong Dee and aunty Tang Mo take turns getting showers and scrub downs by keepers in the enclosure next door, the Taronga Zoo's baby elephant is playing happily in his own "little" bath tub which was cut down from a big plastic tank. Recently named Luk Chai, the youngster has bath toys too, albeit slightly larger than your average yellow ducky!

Many more pics beneath...

Tama Zoo Koala Baby and Mom

A baby Koala clings to his mom's back at the Tama Zoo in Tokyo, where he will remain off and on for the next six months. These photos were taken today, July 28th, by mamepiyo.

Yellow, Red, Tan or Taupe... Mongooses!

Native to Africa, the Yellow Mongoose is also called the Red Meerkat (apparently no one can agree on it's color). A feisty little carnivore, yellow mongooses communicate mostly with swishes of their yellow/red/orange/burnt sienna tails. These little guys were recently born at the UK's Marwell Zoo. 

Grey Bundles of Fluffy Joy

There's been a baby bird boom at Zoo Basel! These baby flamingos are seen exploring their environment but keep close to Mom and Dad all the same. Young flamingos hatch with grey plumage, but adults range from light pink to bright red due to aqueous bacteria and beta carotene obtained from their food supply. A well-fed, healthy flamingo is more vibrantly colored and thus a more desirable mate.

Timid Leopard Cub Debuts at Tierpark Berlin

Thanks to @g_gila for tipping us off on this Snow Leopard Cub introduced at Tierpark Berlin on the 13th of July. Any German translations out there?