Baby defassa waterbuck
Another recent addition is a female Thomson’s gazelle weighing in at 4.2 pounds (1.9 kilograms) at birth. Yes, she’s small and she will stay small, as adult female Thomson’s get to be around 29 to 53 pounds (13 to 24 kilograms). This petite body size is helpful for quick speeds and making sudden turns. She enjoys tucking in a hay bed underneath a shady tree.
There are two different types of hoofed animal babies. One that gets up fairly quickly after birth and follows mom everywhere she goes is called a “follower”. The other type is a “tucker.” A tucker basically does that, tucks and hides while Mom leaves and then returns frequently to nurse her baby. Even though Mom leaves, she is always watching from a distance to make sure her baby is safe from predators. Tuckers are usually hidden very well, and their coats are very plain in color to help them camouflage into their environments. Defassa waterbuck are considered followers, and Thomson’s gazelles are tuckers. Our Thomson’s practices her tucking skills every day as she hides in her bed of hay awaiting her next bottle.
Sandy Craig is a keeper at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The babies are lucky to have you and your fellow keepers, Sandy. The zoo has a quite new Steenbok gazelle, which is obviously a tucker. I saw it (some weeks ago by the west exit ramp from the Skyfari) just minutes after it was born — a very dark, tiny bundle of very wet fur! Since then, no sign of it. Keepers tell me it’s a boy, very healthy, and tucked away in a cave-like area. I keep hoping he’ll soon be out where we all can see him. And I’ll look forward to seeing your Defassa waterbuck soon.
She’s adorable! Maybe sometime you can tell us more about the species that are tuckers. That part of my education is lacking. Thanks for sharing!
I knew that the fawns of the deer in the northern part of the country are tuckers, but I’d never heard the terms before. Thanks!
Wow – that’s very interesting. What a cute photo also. (:
Thanks for this post! I have learned so much just from reading about the followers and tuckers of the four-hoofed animals. This is one of the reasons I dearly love and enjoy reading the SDZ blog!
lol
too cute !!