Another baby boom is about to hit Brookfield Zoo.
According to a release from the zoo, moms-to-be are Allie, 26; Tapeko, 31 and Spree, 10, all due to give birth during the summer and fall.
(See photos of the dolphin moms-to-be below.)
"Allie, Tapeko, and Spree are all healthy and their pregnancies are progressing well,” said Jennifer Langan, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, associate veterinarian for the Chicago Zoological Society. “Prenatal care for the expecting dolphins includes some of the same procedures as for expecting human moms: ultrasound examinations and blood tests.”
In addition to ultrasounds (see video, embedded) and other prenatal checkups, the Associated Press reports zoo staff will track the mammals' diet, body temperature and "blubber thickness."
“The baby already has blubber, just like mom does,” Langan told the Tribune of Allie's forthcoming offspring. The calf is expected to spend 12 months in gestation before emerging tail-first weighing in at about 40 pounds.
Motherhood is nothing new for Allie and Tapeko who have each had two and three successful calves, respectively, the zoo says. This pregnancy, meanwhile, is the first for orphaned Spree, who joins the Brookfield Zoo as part of cooperative work with Minnesota Zoo.
