LONDON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A giant baby anteater born at London Zoo during Britain's Storm Aileen has been found to have an usual lightning-shaped white stripe, zookeepers have discovered.
They believe the new arrival, with it ghostly white stripe, will become a popular attraction when the upcoming Halloween festival is celebrated.
The zoo said Thursday its six-week-old giant anteater has made its public debut after its mom Inca took her outside her den.
Zookeeper Amy Heath from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said: "I was delighted to see a healthy pup snuggled up to mum Inca, having a quiet feed in the cosy indoor den one morning.
"The tiny youngster immediately climbed up onto mum Inca's back after finishing its first breakfast -- settling into the perfect position to be carried around.
"The first thing I noticed was the rare white markings down the baby's back, which look like a lightning strike. Pups usually have grey markings so this baby is definitely special. It's an amazing coincidence that a baby born during such a dark and stormy night has got such unique colorings to mark the occasion."
Juvenile anteaters spend the first three months clinging to their mother's backs, sliding down to feed before pulling themselves back up to nestle into mom's fur.
Inspired by mom Inca's birth place, Madrid Zoo, ZSL London Zoo keepers will soon be giving the unsexed youngster a Spanish name: Raya meaning 'stripe' if it's a girl, or Trueno, meaning 'storm' if it's a boy.
The new arrival weigh in at around a kilo, but will grow quickly into a full sized adult reaching more than two meters in length and weigh as much as 45 kilograms. Meantime the infant will happily hitch a ride to stay close to mum, letting her do all the work while sleeping up to 15 hours a day.
