A baby two-toed sloth was born at the National Aquarium, and you have the opportunity to name him/her!
Watch a video below of the little one here:
Submit your idea for a name at the National Aquarium website.
Category Archives: Zoos and Aquariums
Baby Animals at Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens welcomed a trio of baby animals this summer: a giant anteater, a spider monkey, and a kangaroo!
Currently a month old and weighing less than 5 pounds, the baby anteater will eventually grow to be over 100 pounds. The little anteater will ride on his mother’s back for about a year.
Also spending his days riding on his mother’s back, the baby spider monkey was born in June.
Finally, the newest kangaroo at Busch Gardens, named Louis, weighs under 10 pounds and spends most of his time in his mother’s pouch.
Male Sea Dragon Gives Birth
Did you know that similar to sea horses, the male sea dragon is responsible for bearing young? The female sea dragon deposits her eggs on the male’s spongy tail. He then incubates the eggs for 30-40 days. When the eggs are about to hatch, he gives his tail a shake to help the eggs detach and help the babies to break free of the eggs.
Watch the birth of a weedy sea dragon in action at SeaWorld Orlando:
Rare Cuban Crocodile Births at National Zoo
Watch the video below which chronicles the birth of two endangered Cuban crocodiles at the National Zoo.
Rescued Manatee Gives Birth
SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue team traveled to Sykes Creek in Merritt Island, Fla., on June 8 to rescue the 10-foot manatee that had severe injuries to the front right flipper caused by a crab pot line.
Back in June, the animal rescue team at SeaWorld Orlando came to the aid of a 10-foot manatee who was injured and caught in a fishing line in Sykes Creek in Merritt Island, Florida. The 1,380-pound manatee was transported to SeaWorld so that veterinarians could treat her injuries. Her right flipper was severely injured and had to be amputated.
On July 18, the manatee gave birth to a healthy calf. The baby has been nursing and bonding with its mother in SeaWorld Orlando’s back area pool. The animal team will continue to monitor the pair.
Approximately six weeks after her rescue, rescued manatee gives birth to a calf at SeaWorld Orlando on the morning of July 18, 2012.
The mother and baby will be monitored by SeaWorld’s animal team while they bond in the back area pool.
Baby Dolphin Born at SeaWorld Orlando
Saturday morning saw the birth of a dolphin at SeaWorld Orlando. The gender of the baby has not been determined yet, but has been feeding and bonding with the mother, Starkey. Guests at the park can visit the pair at the Dolphin Nursery.
To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our Bottlenose Dolphin Facts Page.
Twin Baby Sea Lions at SeaWorld
On June 17, 2012, twin sea lions were born at SeaWorld Orlando. The pups, and mom, Fable, are doing well. This is the first time twin sea lions have been born at the park.
Last week, SeaWorld Orlando welcomed two bundles of joy: twin baby sea lions! The pair were born to mother Fable, who is nearly 14 years old. Sea lions usually give birth to only one pup at a time, so this is a very rare occurrence in the animal world.
The pups will nurse from their mother until they are between 6-12 months old.
Snapping Turtle Crittercam
Greg Marshall, inventor of the Crittercam (a camera that attaches to animals to record their activity from their perspective) came to Connecticut to work with Mystic Aquarium turtle expert Dr. Tobias Landberg. Together they figured out a safe and secure method to attach the Crittercam to a snapping turtle’s shell. They released the turtle into the wild and will be able to learn about its habits and movements in the water.
The Mystic Aquarium has used the Crittercam before on beluga whales.
SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team Saves Stranded Baby Dolphin
Preliminary tests have showed no major health issues in the newborn dolphin rescued on May 20, but to ensure the young animal gets the essential nutrients he needs, SeaWorld’s animal team has been manually tube-feeding the dolphin every two hours.
A newborn bottlenose dolphin was discovered stranded in shallow waters off of Three Sisters Island in Florida on Sunday. SeaWorld’s animal rescue team, in conjunction with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, transported the baby to SeaWorld’s facility in Orlando for medical testing and care.
Due to its size (just under 35 pounds), its upright dorsal fin, and its still-attached umbilical cord, SeaWorld‘s animal care experts believe the male dolphin to be no more than five days old. Usually baby dolphins nurse from their mothers until they are 12-18 months old. Animal care experts have been tube-feeding the youngster every two hours.
To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our Bottlenose Dolphin Facts Page.
Orangutans Use iPads to Communicate
An orangutan uses an iPad at Miami's Jungle Island. Photo by Associated Press.
At Miami’s Jungle Island, the iPad is a huge hit with young orangutans. They use the handheld computer tablets to draw, play games, and learn new words.
This exposure to technology is part of the zoo’s mental stimulus program. The hope is to increase communication between humans and apes. Keepers have long used sign language to communicate with orangutans, but the iPad allows people who don’t know sign language to communicate as well.
Orangutans are highly intelligent creatures, but they lack the ability to talk. According to Linda Jacobs, who oversees the program at Jungle Island, “They are sort of trapped in those bodies. They have the intelligence that they need to communicate, but they don’t have the right equipment, because they don’t have voice boxes or vocal cords. So this gives them a way to let us know what they know, what they are capable of, what they would like to have.”
For more info, see:
To learn more about orangutans, see Animal Fact Guide’s article: Bornean Orangutan.