The Como Zoo in St. Paul is celebrating a new arrival to its giraffe herd. Born on November 6 at a whopping six feet and 132 pounds, the baby girl is the third calf born to her mother Zinnia.
The zoo held a public vote to name the baby in conjunction with Give To The Max Day. Around 17,000 votes were cast on three floral names: Dahlia, Aster, and Ivy. Ivy won the voting with 45% of the votes. Dahlia came in second with 40%, and Aster got the remaining 15% of the votes.
Ivy’s birth was planned with breeding recommendations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (of which the zoo is an accredited institution) through their Species Survival Program (SSP), which works to ensure a strong genetic pool and the long-term survival of animals in zoos.
According to the Como Zoo, giraffes can be as tall as 18 feet tall and have a prehensile tongue as long as 18 inches, which it uses for grasping. A giraffe can double in height during its first two years of life, many standing over 12-feet tall. A single calf is born during a giraffe’s gestation period, which lasts between 14 and 15 months. Reticulated giraffes are native to the savannahs and woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, and like human fingerprints, the giraffe’s spots are unique to each animal.
Check out the Como Zoo website to learn more about the giraffe herd or to plan a visit.
