What to Know
- A Southern Tamandua pup was born at the Los Angeles Zoo on Aug. 28; visitors can see the baby in the nursery near the Winnick Family Children's Zoo
- The youngster's parents are Micah and Lou; the gender of the little lesser anteater will be "determined at a later date through bloodwork"
- This is the "first-ever successful Tamandua birth" at the animal park
Our initial encounters with anteaters often happen through popular culture, specifically the animated features that show the ground-probing animals slurping up insects courtesy of their lengthy tongues.
And while cartoons can often turn earthlings into seemingly fantastical beings, anteaters require no fanciful exaggeration: These amazing animals really do consume a prodigious amount of insects with the help of their extraordinary lickers.
But we know you're getting ant-sy about why we're talking anteaters, so we won't draw the ant-cipation of the Los Angeles Zoo's big news out any further: A baby Southern Tamandua was born at the animal park on Aug. 28 to mother Micah and father Lou.
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Making this exciting development especially nose-table, er, notable? The lesser anteater's arrival represents the "first-ever successful Tamandua birth" at the LA Zoo.
"This is a significant birth for the zoo," said Mallory Peebles, senior animal keeper at the Los Angeles Zoo.
"This is the first time LA Zoo visitors will have the opportunity to see the species as a neonate and observe its development over time. We are thrilled with this new addition to our zoo family and its arrival is a testament to the care and wellbeing provided by our entire team."
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The zoo notes that the baby's gender will be "determined at a later date through bloodwork."
If you're eager to admire this youngster and first-time parents Micah and Lou, you can at the nursery near the Winnick Family Children's Zoo.
But you don't have to wait to feel all the feels: LA Zoo shared photos of the beautiful baby on Sept. 20.
