Emilia, a once-wild giant anteater from Paraguay, gave birth to a male giant anteater last month at the Nashville Zoo, officials announced Wednesday.
Born on Sept. 19, the young anteater is the third birth for Emilia. The mother and her baby are currently being kept off exhibit.
Connie Philipp, mammal curator at the Nashville Zoo, called the facility a leader in helping to bring giant anteaters back from near extinction. The creatures are solitary animals from the tropical forests of Central and South America, and are considered extinct in some South American countries. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the giant anteater as “vulnerable.”
Philipp said this latest birth now makes the zoo home to 12 giant anteaters, the nation’s largest collection.