Name That Giraffe: Maryland Zoo Sticks Neck Out for Baby-Naming Contest

BALTIMORE, MD — The Maryland Zoo is hosting an online poll to determine the name of its new baby giraffe. Six names are in the running for the calf, who was born on Feb. 6.

The baby is a reticulated giraffe, the tallest species on earth; at birth, she was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 125 pounds.

Reticulated giraffes are generally found feeding amidst the treetops in south, eastern and central Africa, so some of the names in the baby-naming contest are of African origin. At the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, the calf's parents are named Caesar and Juma, which means "born on Friday" in Swahili.

Here are the six names for the new baby giraffe. Online voting is open until 8 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23.

• Imara (means "strong" in Swahili)
• Safara (means "fire")
• Willow (since the calf is slender and graceful)
• Ruby (because she’s a rare and precious gem)
• Opal (from word for jewel in Sanskrit)
• Dottie (since she has a spot above each hoof)

Vote here on the Maryland Zoo website.

The Maryland Zoo's new baby was the first giraffe calf to be born there in 20 years.

Giraffes as a whole were recently added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's vulnerable list since the giraffe population has declined 40 percent over the past 30 years due to illegal hunting, habitat loss and civil unrest.

There are a little more than 8,000 reticulated giraffes on the planet.

Related: Maryland Zoo Welcomes First Baby Giraffe Since 1997

Image via the Baltimore Zoo