ZooBorns

Silvery Langur Baby Swings Into Santa Ana Zoo

The Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park is pleased to announce the birth of a Silvery Langur (Trachypithecus cristatus) on the 31st of January, 2012. The proud parents are Oliver and Daria. The yet to be named baby is the second offspring of this pair. Mom, dad and baby can be found at home in the primate area at the zoo.

Bright orange at birth with pale skin, over the first three to five months of life Silvery Langurs change to a grayish coat with a darker face and hands, and eventually weigh up to fifteen pounds.  Silvery Langurs are at home in the dense tropical forests of Indonesia and Malaysia where they are considered near threatened with a decreasing population mostly due to land clearance, often for palm oil plantations. Silvery Langurs are specialist leaf eaters with a digestive system adapted to ferment the tough cellulose material in leaves.  With a diet high in vegetation, Langurs will sit quietly for many hours digesting their food.   

Photo credits: Ethan Fisher

The Santa Ana Zoo has housed Silvery Langurs since 1984, and holds the longevity record for this species with a female reaching over 35 years of age.  This birth at the Santa Ana Zoo and was a collaborative effort with Species Survival Plan Program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  The mission of the AZA Species Survival Plan Programs is to manage and conserve select threatened or endangered, ex situ populations through the cooperation of AZA-accredited Zoos and Aquariums.

The new baby is on view for the public daily between 10:00AM and 4:00PM at the Santa Ana Zoo in Prentice Park, 1801 Chestnut Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

New Baby Anteater for Brevard Zoo

The Brevard Zoo in Florida has welcomed its first baby Giant Anteater. The little one, born on January 26 to mother Boo and dad Abner, will hitch a ride on mom's back for the first year of its life. The baby's gender is currently unknown.

“It’s very exciting for us because it’s the first time we’ve had a giant anteater born at the zoo,” said zoo marketing director Andrea Hill. Hills said they do not normally name new animals for about 30 days -- roughly the time it takes for them to adjust and be ready to go out on exhibit. Their group of anteaters are being kept off exhibit until they all adjust to the new baby.

Giant Anteaters are usually solitary mammals in the wild that come together to mate. An adult female gives birth to just one baby, called a pup. Pups are born with a full coat of hair; similar coloring helps the baby blend in so predators can't see it. 

Photo Credit: Brevard Zoo

Speaking of Speke's Gazelles...

A new female Speke's gazelle named Iris was born at the Saint Louis Zoo on January 6. This is the second offspring for mother Lily and father Chip. This birth is the result of a breeding recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Speke's Gazelle Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program which manages Speke's gazelles in AZA zoos.

These small antelope are quite endangered in their arid homeland of Somalia. Their pale fawn color blends well with the sandy terrain there. To avoid predators, newborn calves lie motionless in the sparse vegetation, emerging from hiding long enough to nurse. 

The gazelle family can be seen together outside at Red Rocks on warmer days and inside the Antelope House on colder days. You can see in the video below that Iris has been exploring the habitat and getting used to stretching her legs by dodging adults and generally darting around!

Photo Credit: St. Louis Zoo

 

Dingo Puppies!

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Dingoes Naya and Mattie became the proud parents of seven adorable puppies on January 30.  The four male and three female pups are the first Dingoes to be born at the zoo since 1988.

“All of the pups appear strong and healthy, and Naya and Mattie are excellent parents,” says Elaine Kirchner, Australian Adventure Area Manager. 

For now, the puppies live indoors in a cozy nest box. When Naya enters the nest box, the puppies whimper and crawl to her belly, where they nurse.  The pups’ eyes will open at around two weeks of age, and they may begin to venture out of the nest box to explore the Dingoes’ heated indoor quarters.

Photo credits: Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

Mattie and Naya are one of only about 75 pairs of pure Dingoes worldwide, so the pups are an important addition to the pure Dingo population.  In Australia, Dingoes have widely hybridized with domestic dogs, so pure Dingoes are rare.  Mattie and Naya came to the zoo from Australia in 2010.

Pricklier By The Day, Perth's Puggle is Growing Up!

Kai the Echidna born last year at Perth Zoo is growing well. Now Kai weighs nearly 1.2 kg and, as you can see, the spines are really starting to come through. Kai is the sixth echidna born at Perth Zoo since 2007. A mother Echidna incubates a single egg for about 11 days before it hatches. The puggle weighs less than one gram when it hatches. The puggle is then carried around in its mother’s pouch for two months before being deposited in a nursery burrow.

Photo credits: Perth Zoo

 

New Pictures! North Carolina Zoo's Baby Chimp

We covered the arrival of baby Ebi, a female chimpanzee born at the North Carolina Zoo on January 16, on ZooBorns a few weeks ago. You can read all the details and see her earliest pictures there. In these new photos, little Ebi looks out at her new world from the safety of her mother's arms and eventually drifts off for a nap.  

The baby chimp will be on exhibit occasionally, depending on the weather and her acclimation to the exhibit.

 

Photo Credit:Tom Gillespie/NC Zoo 

Siku The Star Polar Bear Cub Meets The Snow!

Siku's back, and this time he's making snow angels, and maybe eating a little bit of snow while he's at it! The 73 day old, 10.5 kilogram sensation from the Scandinavian Wildlife Park of Djursland had some time outdoors and posed for another outstanding photo session. We just had to share it! Siku means “Sea ice” in Greenlandic language.

A Star is Born at Taronga Zoo

Meet the newest ‘star’ at Australia's Taronga Zoo! Not only is the hatchling an Indian Star tortoise, but this is only the second time Taronga’s reptile keepers have bred this species in 30 years. The little one hatched on January 24 from the only fertile egg in the clutch. At two weeks of age now, the hatchling is smaller than a 50 cent coin. By the time it reaches maturity it will weigh over 15 pounds (7 kilos) -- though that won’t be for six to 12 years, depending on its sex.

Looking at the youngster's shell now, you might wonder as to it's name, but as an adult it will have very distinctive star-like patterns across its high-domed shell.

Right from the start the hatchling was independent, but because it's so tiny, it’s being specially cared for behind the scenes by the keepers. Guests to Taronga's Reptile World will be able to see the adult Star tortoises on display and might even glimpse the hatchling’s three year old cousin which is just beginning to move in with the adults. In the wild, Star tortoises are threatened by hunting, habitat loss and their appeal in the pet trade.

Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo/

 

More photos after the jump!

What's a Baby Banteng?

The St. Louis Zoo in Missouri has some good news! A 42-pound bull Banteng calf named Studebaker was born on January 9 to first-time mom Bentley and father Knox.

Native to Southeastern Asia's dense forests, glades and grasslands, this endangered species of shy, wild cattle is born with a beautiful red coat, which in males will gradually change to black by the time they reach adulthood. The females retain their red color for life. The calf can be seen with his mother and herd on warmer days at the Red Rocks area of the Zoo.

Photo Credit: St. Louis Zoo

 
Photo Credit: St. Louis Zoo

Click Here for more information about Bantengs.

Toronto's Polar Bear Cub Debuts at 3.5 Months!

After a precarious start to life, a now 3 ½ month old male Polar Bear cub was introduced today at Toronto Zoo. This energetic young cub represents a heartwarming journey of survival, one where expert Toronto Zoo Wildlife Health staff worked around the clock to save a vulnerable species. The cub has successfully reached many milestones in his young life and is a great ambassador for a species in need of public education and support.

Photo credit: Toronto Zoo

"This has been an interesting and challenging case for the Zoo and a valiant and dedicated team effort of both the Wildlife Health Centre and Wildlife Care staff," said John Tracogna, the Zoo's Chief Executive Officer. "Ultimately, it has been a rewarding journey for everyone involved, and we are happy to introduce an active and healthy Polar Bear cub, our new Arctic ambassador to help share our conservation message with our visitors."

Learn about the cub's rocky start and about the zoo's naming contest beneath the fold...