Extremely rare spotless giraffe born at US zoo

The completely brown calf was welcomed by Brights Zoo in Tennessee last month and now stands at six feet tall.

She'll grow to be up to three times her current height over the coming years, with female adults standing up to 16 feet tall.

The zoo will hold a vote on the animal's name in September, with the options deriving from Swahili words that emphasise her unique look.

The reticulated giraffe is just as healthy as her spotted counterparts, although her lack of camouflage means she was fortunate to have been born in captivity.

Spotless giraffes are extremely rare, with the last known birth occuring at the Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in 1972.

Brights Zoo founder Tony Brights said the attention on the patternless calf was drawing a "much-needed spotlight" on the species' conservation.

"Wild populations are silently slipping into extinction, with 40 per cent of the wild giraffe population lost in just the last 3 decades," he said in a statement.

The species is currently classed as endangered, with fewer than 9,000 individuals remaining in the wild.

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