Giraffe born without spots at US zoo may be world’s first – and she needs a name
A giraffe born without spots at a zoo in the US state of Tennessee last month may be unique in the world, experts say.
Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee – the birthplace of American folk hero Davy Crockett – is now asking the public to give their extraordinary new arrival a name.
The solid-coloured reticulated giraffe was born last month, and is already six feet tall.
Joe Bostock-Jones, a keeper at London Zoo’s Giraffe House, told Metro the calf was ‘certainly the first we’ve ever heard of’ with the coat abnormality.
He said: ‘We think it’s genetic.
‘A giraffe’s coat is like a fingerprint, it’s unique, and it passes down from the giraffe’s parents.
‘Potentially there’s been some recessive genes in the parents that have got through and shown themselves like this.’
Brights Zoo has provided a list of four possible names for the month-old baby, along with their meanings.
They are Kipekee, meaning unique; Firali, meaning unusual or extraordinary; Shakiri, meaning ‘she is most beautiful’; and Jamella, meaning ‘one of great beauty’.
A vote on Facebook has already attracted more than 1,500 comments.
Tony Bright, the founder of the zoo, told local news: ‘The international coverage of our patternless baby giraffe has created a much-needed spotlight on giraffe conservation.
‘Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40% of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last three decades.’
The spots on a giraffe serve two different purposes: camouflage and, less obviously, thermoregulation.
Recent research shows that the patches are encircled by a network of large veins to disperse the heated blood from smaller vessels, meaning the pattern on their coats can also be seen on thermal imaging cameras.
Joe said the calf had been the talk of London Zoo all day, with keepers reminiscing about ‘giraffes we’ve known over the years’.
He added: ‘There was an albino giraffe in Kenya, but that’s quite different to one with no spots on its coat.
‘We’re all quite intrigued to see how it’ll grow up – will she be like a normal giraffe?
‘It’ll be a good way of comparing what effect having no coat will have on her.’
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