HOUSTON — The Houston Zoo has another new addition. They’re showing off a beautiful baby jaguar.
First-time mom Vida gave birth to the baby boy on Nov. 6. The cute little cub weighed 2.5 pounds at birth.
The Zoo said Vida embraced her new role and is protecting and nurturing the cub. They released a photo of him nursing a few days after he was born.
The mother and son are bonding behind the scenes before the public gets its first peek.
He doesn’t have a name yet. It will be chosen by a zoo supporter who won the right to name him by placing the winning bid at the Zoo Ball.
Guests can see the proud papa, Tesoro, roaming his habitat in South America’s Pantanal.
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Fast facts about jaguars
- Jaguars are the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest overall behind lions and tigers.
- They’re native to South and Central America and can be found in the Amazon basin.
- Unlike other cats, jaguars don’t avoid water and they’re good swimmers.
- They live alone and define their territories by marking areas with their waste or clawing trees.
- The name jaguar is derived from the native American word yaguar which means “he who kills with one leap.”
- Jaguars hunt by climbing trees to prepare an ambush.
- They have very powerful jaws capable of crushing a skull in one bite.
Guests can help save wild jaguars by visiting Vida, Tesoro and their new cub at the Houston Zoo. A portion of each zoo admission and membership helps the Zoo support Projecto Ariranhas, a Brazilian conservation partner that trains local guides to lead jaguar-safe tours.