A new baby giraffe was born at the Dallas Zoo on Sunday. The mother, Chrystal, gave birth to a 131-pound female giraffe.
The zoo reported that Chrystal had a fairly short labor on March 19 and remained calm throughout.
Giraffes are pregnant for around 15 months before they give birth, according to Save Giraffes Now.
Giraffes give birth while standing, meaning their calves’ welcome into the world is rather abrupt, as they usually fall around 6 feet to the ground. Shortly after the fall, within the first day after birth, the calf will be able to run.
Newborn calves can also stand almost immediately after birth; the Dallas Zoo’s new baby was no exception. They must learn to stand this early because they need to stand in order to nurse.
The calf has not yet been named, but the zoo will issue a release once a name is chosen.
Earlier this month, the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose welcomed two new baby giraffes, as reported by The Dallas Express. The two female giraffe calves, one named Waffles and the other unnamed, can both be seen during a self-guided driving tour of the center.
The Dallas Zoo has been welcoming a lot of new life lately. In February, a baby elephant and a baby warthog were born, as The Dallas Express reported.
The baby elephant was named Okubili this March. Okubili’s birth also marked the first time the zoo had tried to recreate the natural birthing process of elephants in the wild, guiding the family to encircle and protect the mother during her labor.
The Dallas Zoo named the baby warthog Tikiti, and she made her debut earlier in March.
Zoos will breed animals in captivity for conservation reasons, sometimes “as a tool to prevent extinction of a species that cannot survive in the wild, often due to the deterioration of a species’ habitat,” according to Purdue University.
Giraffes are not legally classified as an endangered species, but they are classified as “vulnerable,” meaning they are at a high risk of extinction. The population has declined by around 40% in the past 30 years.