Newborn baby animals are always adorable, but there’s something extra special about the arrival of a baby giraffe.
Newborn baby animals are always adorable, but there’s something extra special about the arrival of a baby giraffe. Unlike most newborns, giraffes can be over six feet tall at birth and stand on their own feet instantly.
Which is why Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, in Colorado, is so excited about their newest arrival: a baby female giraffe born on Wednesday morning.
The announcement follows a 15-month pregnancy by 10-year-old mom Bailey. According to a post from the zoo, a “group of lucky guests” saw Bailey’s water break as she went into labor.
“Tens of thousands” also witnessed the baby’s birth live via a YouTube livestream set up by the zoo.
Giraffes have one of the most unique births in the animal kingdom: Giraffes have the third-largest newborns in the animal kingdom, behind only blue whales and elephants, averaging about 165 pounds.
After the long gestation period, baby giraffes enter the world already pretty fully-formed, and start taking their first wobbly steps within an hour of birth.
That was the case for this newborn, the zoo writes, who took “several attempts to stand on its own” before finding her footing.
