Cincinnati Zoo welcomes its first baby animal of 2023. Here's a look

What better way to celebrate the new year than with a baby?

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden welcomed the arrival of a healthy baby tamandua Thursday. Nine-year-old Isla gave birth early in the morning after being on birth watch for over a month. The sex of the pup has not yet been determined.

According to zoological manager Julie Grove, the birth window for tamanduas is 130-190 days, and Isla's pup came at the very end of that window. She said the Zoo Volunteer Observer team has monitored Isla's every move since mid-November and performed regular ultrasounds to track fetal development.

"Isla’s keepers have established an amazing bond with her, and she cooperates fully with ultrasounds and other health-related procedures," Grove said in a press release.

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The Cincinnati Zoo announced Isla's pregnancy in October. It was her third pregnancy since her arrival in 2016. She became a first-time mother in 2018.

It is not yet known when visitors will get to first see the new pup. The zoo will provide updates on the tamandua baby via social media.

What is a tamandua?

Also called the lesser anteater, the tamandua uses its long snout to sniff out ant, termite and bee colonies. They can eat up to 9,000 ants in one day.

Tamanduas have long claws for digging into nests, and a long, sticky tongue to lick up insects. The mammal also has a prehensile tail used for gripping branches, which helps it forage on the ground and in trees. They are mostly nocturnal and cannot see very well. So, when you do get to see one, don't expect it to make eye contact with you.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Zoo welcomes tamandua pup, its first baby animal of 2023