Spotless giraffe, thought to be only one in world, born at Tennessee zoo

Paco Dennis

Paco Dennis

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Brights zoo hopes publicity around unnamed female, who lacks distinctive patches, will draw attention to plight of giraffes in wild
3 minute read

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Spotless giraffe, thought to be only one in world, born at Tennessee zoo
 

omg he/she is gonna have problems in life one way or the other - too sort after or astrocized?/
 

Well, the little spotless darling will be raised in captivity, so she won't need camouflage for protection as she would in the wild.

As stated in the article, "The skin under the spots also has a system of blood vessels that allows giraffes to release heat through the center of each patch, providing a form of thermal regulation." That makes me wonder how she'll do in very hot weather. Perhaps they'll provide a climate-controlled environment for her. I have a suspicion that she might not live long, despite how well she's been cared for. We'll see.
 
A pure spotless white Giraffe was seen in Kenya back in 2017. It suffers from a genetic condition called leucism, which inhibits pigmentation in skin cells. Unlike albinism, animals with leucism continue to produce dark pigment in their soft tissue, which explains the white giraffes’ dark eyes and other markings:
white giraffe.jpg
 
I have a love/hate feeling towards zoos. I hate seeing the animals caged up .... [IMO] they should be wild & free. On the other hand , I have been to zoos in the past and was just fasinated by the animals.
 
horseless carriage said:
A pure spotless white Giraffe was seen in Kenya back in 2017. It suffers from a genetic condition called leucism, which inhibits pigmentation in skin cells. Unlike albinism, animals with leucism continue to produce dark pigment in their soft tissue, which explains the white giraffes’ dark eyes and other markings:
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Click to expand...
This one and the brown one are amazing! First I've ever seen unspotted giraffes! I think giraffes are so cute and sweet.
 
The rare baby giraffe born without spots finally has a name! 😊

Excerpt from the above article:

"After nearly 40,000 votes, the winner is Kipekee, which is the Swahili word for unique.

"For a lot of guests we talked to, that was the easiest name for a child to say," David Bright, the director of Brights Zoo, said on TODAY.

The zoo asked fans to vote between four names: Kipekee; Firyali, which means unusual or extraordinary; Shakiri which means “she is most beautiful,” and Jamella, “one of great beauty.”

Kipekee received just over 16,000 votes to edge Shakiri, which received more than 10,000.
 
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