It’s a girl! Zoo Miami staff has welcomed a female baby giraffe into their brood.
Born Monday, the newborn weighs nearly 150 pounds and towers at 6 feet tall.
She is the second baby to 5-year-old mom Mia and the 45th baby giraffe born at the zoo, communications director Ron Magill said in a release.
Her father, 15-year-old Fezzik, was born at the St. Louis Zoo and joined the Miami family in May 1998.
The baby, who is yet to be named, underwent her first neonatal exam Thursday, and received her vaccinations and other routine procedures. Everything went well, and Mama Mia and baby should be joining the rest of the herd by Wednesday.
According to the release, giraffes have a 15 month pregnancy. As mama giraffes almost always stand while giving birth, their babies plummet about 5 feet to the ground when born.
"When a human baby is born in a hospital, you want to spank that baby, you want to hear it cry, 'Waaah, waaah,' get those lungs cleared," Magill told WSVN 7. "There's no bed out in the middle of the African bush, but when you fall four to six feet to the floor, what happens? 'Gasp,' you start breathing. It's nature's way to get that baby kickstarted."
Check out these stunning photos of the new baby:
