brevard zoo Archives - Animal Fact Guide

Jaguar Cubs at Brevard Zoo

Posted on February 3, 2015 by admin

Photo by Brevard Zoo.

On January 27, Brevard Zoo welcomed a pair of healthy jaguar cubs. The cubs were born to mom, Masaya, and dad, Mulac.

The zoo installed a camera in the den box to monitor Masaya as she gave birth and now as she cares for the cubs. Mother and cubs are doing very well according to zoo staff.

“We are very excited with Masaya and Mulac’s new additions and look forward to them being out for guests to see,” said Kerry Sweeney, Curator of Animals.

It will be three weeks before the cubs venture out of the den, and another two to three months before they will be out on exhibit.

In the wild, jaguars inhabit the dense forests and swampy grasslands of Central and South America. They are categorized as “near threatened” by the IUCN Red List.

Baby Klipspringer at Florida Zoo

Posted on June 25, 2014 by admin

Baby klipspringer at Brevard Zoo. Photo courtesy of Brevard Zoo.

Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, FL welcomed a female klipspringer calf on June 15. She weighed two pounds at birth and is doing well.

The zoo staff are especially excited over this special birth because the little calf’s mother Vera has a history of medical issues. In May 2013, Vera came to Brevard Zoo with an injured leg. After an extensive surgery, Vera developed an infection in her leg and veterinarians had to amputate it.

The baby klipspringer with her parents, Vera and Marley. Photo courtesy of Brevard Zoo.

Despite her physical disability, Vera was able to hop around the yard and onto the rocks with just three legs. Now, with the birth of the little calf, Vera is showing she is a great mother as well.

In the wild, klipspringers inhabit the rocky terrain of eastern and southern Africa. They are very agile creatures, able to leap and balance on very steep, narrow ledges. In fact, the word klipspringer translates to “rock jumper”.

For more information, see the Brevard Zoo website.

Baby Animals at the Brevard Zoo

Posted on May 30, 2013 by admin

The Brevard Zoo in Florida welcomed a newborn white-faced saki monkey on May 18. The baby monkey is currently clinging to mother Chuckette. Soon the baby’s father Yuki and sister Watson will also start carrying the little one. By six months, the young monkey will be independent.

The baby white-faced saki monkey clings to mother Chuckette. Photo by David Saylor, Brevard Zoo.

In the wild, white-faced saki monkeys are found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.

Four days after the birth of the saki monkey, the zoo celebrated yet another birth! Two male and two female rock hyraxes were born, and within an hour, they were walking around with their parents.

One of four baby hyraxes at the Brevard Zoo. Can you believe this animal is related to the elephant?

Although they look like rodents, rock hyraxes are actually more closely related to elephants. They share a few similar features with elephants such as tusk-like incisors, toenails, sensitive foot pads, and excellent hearing and memory.

They inhabit areas in Africa and the Middle East that have rock crevices, which help provide protection from predators. Hyraxes typically live in groups of 10 to 80. Similar to meerkats, hyraxes use sentries, a system where one or more animals take up position on a vantage point and issue alarm calls on the approach of predators.

Baby Jaguar at Florida Zoo

Posted on February 4, 2013 by admin

The Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida welcomed a baby jaguar on January 26. The cub, whose gender is still unknown, is bonding well with mother Masaya. Zoo visitors will be able to see the cub in a few months.

In the wild, jaguars inhabit the dense forests and swampy grasslands of Central and South America. They hunt deer, monkeys, tapirs, capybara, turtles and fish. Due to habitat loss and fragmentation, jaguars are considered near threatened by the IUCN Red List.

New Zoo Babies at Florida Zoo

Posted on June 17, 2009 by admin

Baby black and white ruffed lemur

The Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida is host to a slew of new baby animals. Pictured above is a five-week-old black and white ruffed lemur baby. The zoo also welcomed a baby spider monkey and a Florida sandhill crane. The baby crane’s father is actually a wild crane who flew into the zoo.

For more info: Florida Today

It’s a Girl! Baby Visayan Warty Pig Born in Florida Zoo

Posted on October 3, 2008 by admin

On September 17, Melbourne, Florida’s Brevard Zoo welcomed a new arrival: a female Visayan warty piglet. In the wild, Visayan warty pigs are critically endangered forest dwellers living in the Philippines. While they once roamed all six islands, Visayan warty pigs have become extinct on four of them. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) had appealed to zoos to participate in an emergency breeding program to help stabilize the Visayan warty pig population.

Visayan Warty Piglet and mother

For more information:
Florida Today, ‘It’s a piglet!’
Brevard Zoo’s Visayan Pig Page