Everyone, and we mean everyone, gets excited when baby animals are born at New York City zoos. Like, even the Times is on it. And the Journal. So Curbed rounded up all the baby animals you can see in New York right this second. Better hurry, before they hit adolescence and get all moody and hide behind some rocks. This isn't BuzzFeed-y stuff, people. It's serious... ly cute. Read on.
Angely Mercado
Lemurs
The latest additions to the Bronx Zoo's Madagascar exhibit are three brown collared lemurs. The new babies are three out of only 34 collared lemurs in North America. Two are a rare-and-adorable set of twins born to Vera and Antoine, and the third belongs to Jakara and Gerard. The babies will nestle in their mom's fur until they're ready to go off and explore their habitats.
Lion Cubs
On August 16, 2013, parents Sukari and M'wasi welcomed their third litter: three males and a female cub. Their names? Thulani, Ime, Bahati, and Amara. These wild cats are one of the most popular exhibits at the Bronx Zoo, and continuous successful litters are part of the Species Survival Plan since natural populations in Africa are rapidly declining.
Gorillas
The Bronx Zoo's award winning gorilla exhibit received two new additions this yearthe first births since 2006, bumping up their population to 20. Julia gave birth on March 10 and Tuti gave birth on April 17. The gender of the two new gorillas are unknown so far; they will cling to their mothers until they're 4 months old.
Giraffe
This past winter, Bronx Zoo giraffes James Michael and Margaret Sukari welcomed a baby boy, who weighed in at 100 pounds and measured six feet tall at birth. Despite being able to walk a few hours after he entered the world, he'll be nursed for a year and began eating some solid foods a little after 3 months. These Baringo giraffes are part of an overall declining population that are native to Western Kenya and Eastern Uganda.
Pudu Fawn
A tiny female pudu fawn was welcomed at the Queens Zoo on April 29. When she was born, she only notched 1 pound on the scale. Pudus are native to Chile and Argentina; they eventually grow to be a little bit over a foot tall and can weigh up to 20 pounds. Despite their stature, pudus are avid runners who zig-zag to escape predators and can easily hide in thick vegetation.
Golden Lion Tamarin
Prospect Park Zoo welcomed a new critter on May 9: a baby golden lion tamarin that will grow to be just 10 inches tall. This monkey is native to the rainforests in Brazil and is currently listed as endangered. This breed of tamarin forms a unit to help raise new group members, so the zoo's new addition is going to get a lot of attention from the adults.
Seal
On May 27, a 22-pound male seal pup became Brooklyn's newest resident. He will gain about half a pound a day until he reaches about 250 pounds in adulthood. Despite being an addition for a little less than two months, he's already a crowd favorite at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. Seals such as this pup are under protection of the Marine Mammal Protection Program in an effort to restore healthy populations of local marine wildlife.
Patagonian Cavies
Brother and sister Cael and Caela were born in Staten Island Zoo on June 3 weighing in at 2 pounds apiece. These Cavies are part some of the world's largest rodents despite their jackrabbit-like appearance and usually reside in Argentina, but for now they're hanging out in the zoo's nursery. They'll grow to be 30 inches and weigh 35 pounds. They're a playful presence at the zoo and have gratefully bumped up the population of their endangered species.
Tamandua
The birth of 15-ounce MJ at the Staten Island Zoo on January 12 was the first recorded birth of a tamandua in the New York metropolitan region. So few tamanduas are recorded in captivity that a birth itself (in or outside of NYC) is amazingly rare. This species is native to South American countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela. They're semi-arboreal and nocturnal but for now, is only going to be climbing on mom's back until she's ready for trees.
· All Outdoors Week 2014 coverage [Curbed]
Loading comments...