There’s been a baby boom at the Dallas and Fort Worth Zoos. Earlier this month, both zoos announced animal births -- that's on top of several other animals born in recent months.
Want to see some cute videos and pictures of these baby animals? You know you do.
Cheetahs and okapis and jaguars, oh my!
Meet two cheetah cubs
We start in Dallas. Meet some of the newest members of the Dallas Zoo family: Winspear and Kamau, two male cheetah cubs. These are two cool cats.
They have a furry friend at their side. Amani is a young black Lab who will be raised with the cubs as a “calming playmate,” zoo officials say. Winspear and Kamau will be part of the zoo’s Animal Adventures outreach program to teach about conservation efforts regarding these endangered African animals.
Watch Winspear and Kamau in action:
Meet a baby okapi
Zoo officials announced earlier this month that Almasi, or “diamond” in Swahili, was born in August after a 14-month gestation. She weighed 47 pounds at birth, and is now up to 190 pounds. The okapi, pronounced oh-KOP-ee, is unique and mysterious. The zoo says the animal is so elusive that it’s been called the “African unicorn.”
So, what’s an okapi? It’s kind of like a zebra, and kind of like a giraffe. The okapi’s black-and-white striped legs and horselike bodies resemble a zebra, but it’s most closely related to giraffes. Like giraffes, their heads have large ears that give them keen hearing and their long tongues let them strip leaves and shoots from trees, the zoo says.
Other recent Dallas Zoo births include a rare ocelot kitten and two male gorillas.
Watch Almasi use her legs!
Meet a jaguar cub
OK, now we head to Fort Worth. Earlier this month, the Fort Worth Zoo announced the birth of a male common waterbuck calf, Ralph, the first such birth at the zoo. The common waterbuck is a hoofstock species native to sub-Saharan Africa. Ralph and his parents can be seen along the boardwalk across from the World of Primates exhibit.
But Fort Worth has more than just Ralph. Add Sasha, a female jaguar cub, to the menagerie. She was born July 16, although zoo officials announced her arrival in October.She weighed in at 2 pounds and began bonding with her mommy – Xochi.
Xochi is rather protective. After giving birth, she cared for Sasha in a private area that mimics natural jaguar behavior in the wild, zoo officials said.
Here’s some video of Sasha hanging out with her mom:
Meet a baby elephant
In August,the Fort Worth Zoo announced the birth of Bowie, a nearly 230-pound male Asian elephant calf. He is the third calf born at the zoo, arriving 30 days after zoo officials welcomed a female calf, Belle.
Watch Bowie strut his stuff:
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