Bay Area Welcomes 5' Tall, 126-Pound Baby

A new baby in the Bay Area is making a big impression.

A 126-pound, 5-foot-tall giraffe was born last Monday just after 2 p.m. at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. He's a reticulated giraffe, the most common type, and native to northeast Africa, Somalia and northern Kenya. By the time he reaches adulthood, he could be as tall as 18 feet and weigh up to 4,000 pounds.

The baby boy is the first giraffe born at the park since 1992 and brings the giraffe herd there to six. He was born to mother Makali, who was born in Fresno, and 6-year-old Nyumekye from Santa Rosa.

A zookeeper cleaning up the barn spotted the calf's feet emerging from between the mother's legs, the Vallejo Community Examiner reported. Two hours later, the calf's head popped out and within minutes, the baby was born.

Six Flags officials say they plan to have a contest in the coming weeks to name the giraffe calf. Visitors will get to see the new addition at the park in Vallejo starting Dec. 26.

We don't have any actual suggestions yet but based on the time of year, there's certain to be a few St. Nick-style names in the bunch. Go ahead, leave a comment below with your name ideas.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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