Fort Worth Zoo
Watson, right, poses with his mother. An aside: Have you ever tried to convert a giraffe photo into a horizontal image? It's like trying to outrun a cheetah.
The Fort Worth Zoo is a regular maternity ward these days. On Wednesday the zoo announced that it was extra thankful this year after welcoming even more new life to its varied ecosystems.
Two male giraffes, Sherlock and Watson, were born Oct. 26 and Nov. 6, officials said.
At birth, Sherlock weighed 171 pounds and measured 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Just a few weeks later, his sidekick Watson came into the world, standing 6 feet, 3 inches tall.
He is sticking pretty close to mom for now, so the zoo doesn’t know just how much the little guy weighs.
As you know, a western lowland gorilla, Bruno, was born earlier this month, and Asian elephant Brazos was slapped to life in October 2021.
“These two male giraffes are doubling our baby boy joy!” the zoo declared.
Zoo officials said the animal care team is waiting for warmer and drier weather before they explore the “African Savanna” habitat, but for now all the residents, new and old, are staying warm inside the barn and getting to know their herd members, including a baby girl, Pele, born in June.
The Fort Worth Zoo houses reticulated giraffes, a name that describes the mammal’s chestnut-brown rectangular markings. Like human fingerprints, each giraffe pattern is different. Native to the African savannas, a giraffe’s most distinguishing feature is its long neck, which can account for 7 feet of its height.
That's a neck as tall as Dirk Nowitzki.
