While they don’t yet have a zebra without stripes, a zoo in Tennessee shared on Monday that one of its giraffes born last month doesn’t have the animal’s iconic patches.
The 6-foot baby was born on July 31 at Bright’s Zoo, a privately owned facility in Limestone, Tennessee, and is a reticulated giraffe, one of the four species.
To see photos of the giraffe, visit the zoo's Facebook page here.
The giraffe, which doesn’t have a name yet, made her public debut at the zoo this month.
The zoo shared that the baby is quite rare, as it could be the “only solid-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet.”
CBS News reported that the last spotless giraffe in captivity was likely a calf born at a zoo in Tokyo in 1972.
The giraffe is classified as “reticulated,” which refers to the giraffe’s network of polygonal brown spots, which are broken up by fur that is cream-colored, according to the Denver Zoo.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation shares that under each spot is a “sophisticated system of blood vessels.” The animals have 25-pound hearts and a large network of vessels.
The spots on the animal are also meant to be used as a form of camouflage in their natural habitat of northern Kenya.
The zoo is allowing fans to name the giraffe, using a Facebook post to have people vote on four options before the winner is announced on Labor Day.
The four options include Kipekee, Firali, Shakiri, and Jamella.
According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, there has been a 50% decline in the animal population over the last 35 years, as the number of reticulated giraffes has fallen from 36,000 to around 16,000.
Tony Bright, the founder of the zoo, shared that the new spotless calf is a much-needed spotlight on conservation efforts for the species.
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