Page 30 - Annual Report 2022

South American Tapir

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Brookfield Zoo welcomed the arrival of a healthy
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male South American tapir calf, Alejandro, also known
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as Alex, born to mother, Sorghum, and father, Sonny,
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o n M a y 2 2 . A t b i r t h , A l e x w e i g h e d i n a t 2 0 p o u n d s ,
on May 22. At birth, Alex weighed in at 20 pounds,
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and as of March 2023 had reached 300 pounds.. .
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T a p i r c a l v e s a r e b o r n w i t h w h i t e s t r i p e s , w h i c h
Tapir calves are born with white stripes, which
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s serve as excellent camouflage. The stripes begin to
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fade after a few months, and are completely gone
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by 6 months of age. Alex will continue to nurse from
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his mother as long as milk is being produced. He will
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West African Dwarf Crocodile
A West African dwarf crocodile hatched at Brookfield Zoo on
A W e s t A f r i c a n d w a r f c r o c o d i l e h a t c h e d a t B r o o k f i e l d Z o o o n
September 15. It is believed to be the first crocodilian species
S e p t e m b e r 1 5 . I t i s b e l i e v e d t o b e t h e f i r s t c r o c o d i l i a n s p e c i e s

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on record to have ever hatched at Brookfield Zoo. The hatchling’s
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parents were 39-year-old sire, Krackle, and 24-year-old mom, Leviathan.
pa r e n t s w e r e 3 9 - y e a r - o l d s i r e , K r a c k l e , a n d 2 4 - y e a r - o l d m o m , L e v i a t h a n .
The West African dwarf crocodile is the world’s smallest crocodile.
T h e W e s t A f r i c a n d w a r f c r o c o d i l e i s t h e w o r l d ’ s s m a l l e s t c r o c o d i l e .
Adults weigh between 40 and 70 pounds and measure an
A d u l t s w e i g h b e t w e e n 4 0 a n d 7 0 p o u n d s a n d m e a s u r e a n
a v e r a g e o f 5 ½ f e e t t o j u s t o v e r 6 f e e t l o n g — t h i s i s 1 0 f e e t s h o r t e r
average of 5 ½ feet to just over 6 feet long—this is 10 feet shorter
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and 2,000 pounds lighter than the largest crocodile species. .
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28 BROOKFIELD ZOO | CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY