Giraffes come into the world with aplomb, dropping from a standing mother several feet onto the ground, breaking the umbilical cord and jarring the calf into immediate activity. Giraffe babies stand about six feet tall at birth! They have to be tough, running around on those extremely thin legs within minutes.
The Sacramento Zoo welcomed a new Masai giraffe on Sunday, January 22, when the mother Shani finally dropped a healthy baby girl. Shani had been showing signs of imminent birth for four days already, and was getting quite used to the zoo's maternity enclosure. Mother and baby are doing fine. The new giraffe will not be officially displayed for quite some time, but keeping animals this large out of sight is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, you can keep up with the new calf at Instagram. -via Zooborns