His mom, at a mere 7,490 pounds, is described as "petite." But zookeepers say Maryland's newest African elephant - 290 pounds and 42 inches tall - is a whopper.
No matter how one measures him, the baby African elephant born Wednesday night at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is the first ever at the 132-year-old institution, and it may be the first pachyderm delivered here since the last woolly mammoth gave birth during the last Ice Age, 12,000 years ago.
If he remains healthy, he seems sure to be a local celebrity for years to come.
"I can't tell you how important we think this is to the zoo community," said Donald Hutchinson, the zoo's interim president and CEO. "We're excited about attendance this year, even without the baby elephant."
A new giraffe feeding area will open soon, along with a reconstructed African aviary, and entrance prices have been reduced. But "there's no question that having a baby elephant will help," Hutchinson said.
Unlike polar bears and giraffes, he noted, "a baby elephant is a baby for a long time. He'll stay close by his mother for three, four, five years. That's really exciting. We think people will come over and over again."
Felix, one of four African elephants at the zoo, gave birth at 9:07 p.m. Wednesday after a 22-month pregnancy. The infant was on his feet in less than 30 minutes, and nursing within hours. He immediately impressed the staff and veterinarians who were privileged to watch.
"He is a very tall ... very classic-looking elephant calf, a very good-looking animal," said Mike McClure, the zoo's general curator and elephant manager.
Zookeepers said that mother and infant were doing well yesterday but that both would stay in the elephant barn and off-exhibit until the weather is better and keepers and veterinarians are confident the two are bonding well.
"We do not want to take any risks with the baby we don't have to," McClure said.
About a third of baby Asian elephants born in captivity die in their first year of life, but African elephants are thought to do better.
The successful birth - one of a handful of elephant deliveries each year in the United States - was an important milestone for the zoo staff. Hutchinson called it "a terrific morale booster" and "an opportunity to say to the community that the third-oldest zoo in the U.S. is still a very vital institution ... and a great attraction to people."
Felix's baby had been eagerly awaited for several weeks as her keepers kept a close vigil on her hormone levels and behavior, watching around the clock for signs of impending delivery.
On Sunday afternoon, McClure said, progesterone levels in her bloodstream began to drop, a sign that delivery would occur within days.
By Tuesday, ultrasound exams showed her cervix had started to dilate, and some of the birth membranes had begun to pass through. On Wednesday, Felix began to exhibit other signs of labor, including contractions. Labor began about 6 p.m., McClure said, and intensified about 8 p.m. At 9:07, "we had a calf on the ground."
Less than 24 hours later, his keepers thought they could already see his personality emerging. "He seems like a very trusting little calf. He doesn't seem particularly nervous," McClure said. "I feel like he's already thinking, sorting things out. You can see the little wheels turning."
Dolly and Anna, two older female elephants in the barn for the birth, reacted with great interest and perked up visibly when the baby made what McClure called "a Mom call," a grunting alarm.
Felix, who arrived at the zoo in December after a successful pregnancy and birth five years ago, has again proved to be a good mom.
"Felix has been a very attentive mother," McClure said. "She's been teaching him things already. Last night, he was nursing very heavily on the left breast, and she guided him around to the other side and showed him her other breast. It was very impressive."
Hutchinson, too, seemed smitten. He got a call about 10 p.m. Wednesday reporting the birth. "I decided to stay out of the way," he said, but finally went to the barn yesterday morning to have a look.
"To watch the mom put her trunk around the baby, and pull the baby close by was really kind of fun," he said. "That's what will stay with me. It was very heart-warming."
Zoo visitors could get their first virtual look at the newborn as early as next week, if officials can get a live video feed up and running. It may be several weeks before mother and son are allowed outdoors.
Meanwhile, the baby elephant remains nameless. In all the preparations for the birth, Hutchinson said yesterday, "we have not had time to even think about names."
Although staffers had tossed around some female monikers, nature delivered a male calf. The zoo has already received many name suggestions and will eventually devise a more formal process for collecting ideas from the staff and the public.
frank.roylance@baltsun.com