By Sarah Knapton
A rare Rothschild’s giraffe calf (click here for video) was born on Boxing Day at Chester Zoo.
The six-feet-tall youngster, which is yet to be sexed or named, arrived to first time mother Tula and father Meru at around 7am and was up on its feet just minutes later.
Rothschild’s giraffes are one of the most endangered subspecies of giraffe and one of the world’s most at risk species....
The Rothschild species (click here) are considered one of the tallest giraffes. They can be an astonishing 20 feet in height. They can also weight about 2,500 pounds with the males weighing more than the females by several hundred pounds. You will notice that the coloring of the Rothschild Giraffe is very unique when compared to the other species.
Their coat consists of dark patches and then areas of beige through them, almost like the sight of water running through a small creek. They have a brown and orange color to them that is very beautiful. Their markings are often along the lines of those as leopards. You will also notice that their markings stop at the top of their very long legs.
As that area of the body comes into the picture, their spots turn into speckles that get smaller and spread further and further apart. Everything from that point down is one of many different shades of white. For some of these animals, the pure white can start at the knee caps....The IUCN Red List of this species of giraffe. (click here)
The ssp. of the species name is "subspecie" and is sometimes written "subsp."
