 Indianapolis Zoo Babies
presented by Community Health Network
At the Indianapolis Zoo, there are very different ideas about what makes
a baby adorable. For example, if a human baby had bristles, tusks, webbed
feet or a dorsal fin, there would be cause for alarm. But at the Zoo, we're
fortunate enough to welcome to the world baby animals of many species.
Our animal breeding efforts are a key part of our animal conservation
mission as they help to ensure the sustainability of a healthy, genetically
diverse and demographically varied animal population. Learn more about
conservation efforts for threatened and endangered species
populations using the
Species Survival Plan®,
a program in accredited AZA facilities to ensure maximum genetic viability
in captive populations. Here's a closer look at some of the adorable and amazing babies born here
at the Indianapolis Zoo in 2013:
Ring-Tailed Lemur
 It
was no April Fools’ joke when Forests keepers discovered that,
between 10:30-11:30am on April 1, ring-tailed lemur Bree had
given birth. It was the first of three ring-tailed lemur babies
born this spring at the Zoo. This is the second baby for Bree,
who is pictured with her baby at left. Bree is an excellent mom
and keeps close tabs on her youngster, so keepers haven’t gotten
a close-enough look to tell whether it’s a boy or a girl. The
other two are girls that were born April 3 and April 9 to
first-time mom Sheridan and experienced mom Sona. At birth,
ring-tailed lemurs weigh less than 3 oz. Moms will carry their
babies on their chest for up to two weeks before the baby moves
around to ride on mom’s back. At 2 weeks old, the baby will
start eating solid food and venturing out on its own, though it
won’t wander far from its mother until age 5 months when it’s
fully weaned.
Cownose Ray
 On
the morning of Feb. 24, keepers in our
Oceans exhibit came in to find that,
sometime during the night, a cownose ray had given birth to a
male pup — the first cownose ray ever born at the Indianapolis
Zoo. Female cownose rays will carry their pups for 12 months.
Rays have live births and the babies are born tail-first with
their wings folded over their bodies, almost like a taco shell.
This youngster has already proven to be a strong swimmer and
quickly began foraging for food. The pup will remain a youngster
for a while, so guests can easily pick him out from the crowd.
Learn more about this benchmark birth in our
blog.
Rainbow
Lorikeet
 Two
rainbow lorikeet chicks are the first members of the Zoo Babies
Class of 2013. They were born some time between Jan. 8-9 and weigh 38 grams and 27.5 grams, respectively.
The chicks are being parent-reared with daily checks by the Zoo’s
veterinary staff. Lorikeets are commonly found in the
Australian bush, where they sing cheerful songs and drink
nectar. Although these chicks look pretty plain when they hatch,
they’ll soon sport an array of rainbow-colored plumage! When the
birds mature, guests will be able to
visit these tropical and playful birds in the Zoo’s newest
permanent exhibit,
Flights of Fancy: A Brilliance of Birds.
View the Indianapolis Zoo
babies archive.
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