Denver Zoo Gets Its First Baby Gerenuk Named 'Blossom' (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Just over two weeks before the first day of spring, the Denver Zoo welcomed the first ever baby Gerenuk calf to be born in the Mile High City.

The female Gerenuk (pronounced Gair-uh-nook) was born on March 6 and has been named Blossom.

According to the zoo, Gerenuk means "giraffe-necked" in the Somali language.

"Adults of the species weigh between 60 and 100 pounds and can stand about three and a half feet tall at the shoulder, but have long, thin necks as well. Gerenuks also have specially designed hips and pelvises which give them the unique ability to stand up completely vertical on their hind legs. This nearly doubles their height as they browse for hard to reach leaves and twigs in trees," the Denver Zoo said in a statement.

Gerenuks inhabit the bushland, thickets and thorn bush of Eastern Africa. Their population in the wild is estimated to be about 95,000, classifying them as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss and fragmentation.