A spotless giraffe may be the only one of her kind on the planet, according to the zoo where she was born. The baby with no spots was born July 31 at Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, WJHL reports, and zoo officials say that since spots are able to be seen immediately after giraffes are born, it was clear right away that this all-brown animal was different. "Giraffe experts believe she is the only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet," Brights Zoo says in a release, though the Giraffe Conservation Foundation has not confirmed that statement, according to Today. (Starting Tuesday, you'll be able to vote on the baby giraffe's name here.)
According to the zoo's director, "From day one we've been in contact with zoo professionals all over the country. And especially the old timers, that have been around for a long time, 'Hey, have you seen this? What's your thoughts?' And nobody's seen it." There is, however, video of a spotless giraffe at a Japanese zoo in 1967. As for the world's newest giraffe with no spots, zoo officials say her bloodwork checked out healthy, she's thriving as her mom cares for her, and she's already six feet tall. "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 3 decades," says the zoo's founder. (More Tennessee stories.)
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