Visitors can now see new baby animals at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Visitors to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will have some new animals to see this summer.
The zoo recently announced that several news species are already or will soon be viewable in exhibits. The new species include different types of lizards, gazelle and mandrill species, each with clever human stories and names.
Below are the different kinds of new animals available for viewing at the zoo.
Two new types of lizards hatched this year at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
In the zoo's reptile building, Desert Grassland Whiptail lizards hatched on Jan. 20, the first hatchlings of the year. Known for their elongated bodies and whip-like tails, they're found mainly in North and South America.
They reproduce by parthenogenesis, meaning eggs develop into embryos without fertilization from a mate, according to the zoo.
Green Basilisks, also lizards, hatched in February and are famed for their ability to run on water, claiming the nickname "Jesus Christ lizard," a zoo news release states.
Skimming atop ponds and streams allows the species, native to Central American rainforests, to escape predators. Once mature later this summer, they will be on display with other reptiles.
Humboldt penguin chicks doing well
Nearby, Humboldt penguin chicks, are doing well after what the zoo described as a difficult birth as both chicks were awkwardly positioned within their eggs.
The zoo's animal care teams assisted with their hatch, and the babies are living with foster parents, Ava and Gunter, and Tressel and Watson. Both chicks will attend “Penguin Preschool” before their public debut in the coming weeks, according to the zoo.
Two kinds of gazelle now in Africa region
In the zoo's Africa exhibit, a pair of slender-horned gazelle calves were born in February — a male named Sasquatch and a female, Nessie. Classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, their herds are highly fragmented across North Africa, due to poaching and human encroachment.
Only a few hundred of the slender-horned gazelle remain, according to the zoo. They can be spotted among a herd in the zoo's savanna region.
In the same exhibit is also a male Dama gazelle calf, born just before St. Patrick’s Day. Named Patrick, the Dama gazelle is providing hope for the rarest of all gazelle species with fewer than 300 left in their native range which includes the Sahara Desert, according to the zoo.
Patrick the Dama gazelle will soon be viewable in the savanna region's exhibit with mom, Kix; dad, Kabili, and others.
Mandrill baby born in early May
In the Congo Expedition region, a Mandrill baby was born May 5. Baby mandrills are independent primates that nurse, sleep and — when allowed by their mothers — begin to explore within days of their birth, according to the zoo.
Mandrills are the largest of all monkeys, native to rainforests along the equator in west central Africa. While no name was given, he joins his half-sister, Izara, big brother, Bernard, his dad, Mosi, and his aunt Matilda.
dnarciso@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New baby animals now available to view at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
