A fast-moving inhabitant at London Zoo left keepers pleasantly surprised after his mate fell pregnant just days after the pair met.
Tobi the tamandua – a type of anteater – moved to the ZSL attraction last October in hopes that he would one day mate with female Ria.
And that day arrived much sooner than zookeepers had anticipated, with the mother giving birth to a little one five months later.
Long-tongued Poco was born on Easter Monday and has been staying close to Ria since its birth.
“We were confident Ria was pregnant as she’d just started to put on some weight, but we weren’t expecting to welcome a new member of the family so soon,” said zookeeper Steve Goodwin.
“They must have got together pretty much on their first date – Tobi clearly pulled out all the stops!”
He added: “Ria went into her nest box that morning, which isn’t unusual as tamanduas are nocturnal animals and often nap during the day.
“But at around 5pm, as the sun began to set, she amazed us all when she came outside for her evening explorations with a tiny newborn holding onto her fur.”
Young tamanduas cling to their mother’s back for the first three months.
The little one has also been testing out its tongue, which will grow up to 40cm long and is used to draw insects from tree branches, the zoo said.
The sex of the baby, whose birth is considered a “valuable addition” to the species, will be revealed following a scan by vets.
Tamanduas are nocturnal mammals native to South America.
