‘Male’ gorilla shocks zookeepers by giving birth

Zookeepers believed the gorilla was a male for four years

Columbus Zoo said that Sully, who has been a part of the zoo since 2019, was discovered with her baby on Thursday (July, 20).

They confirmed in a blog post that the baby "appears to be healthy" and that Sully was being an excellent mother.

"We're thrilled by the addition of another birth for this critically endangered species," the zoo said. 

"As the 34th gorilla born here since 1956 when the Columbus Zoo became the first zoo in the world to welcome the birth of a baby gorilla, she's an important part of our work to conserve these magnificent animals."

Zookeepers also confirmed that Sully herself had always been in good health and had never needed any examinations in the build-up to it.

While they admitted the birth was a "unexpected, yet surprising" they said that they had no incline that Sully was female until they saw her nursing her child.

"It's hard to tell the sex of younger gorillas," they explained.

"Until about eight, males and females are about the same size, and they don't have prominent sex organs. Males don't develop... their silver backs until 12 or later."

Due to their large abdomens, gorillas do not usually show any signs of pregnancy while infant gorillas are significantly smaller than their parents.

They now plan to undergo DNA tests to determine who the father of the infant is.

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