By Associated Press
St. Louis, MO – The St. Louis Zoo has a new baby in the house.
A 98-pound male Bactrian camel named Eli was born March 11 to parents Minnie and Elvis. The family and the rest of the camel herd are at the zoo's Red Rocks exhibit.
The critically endangered species is native to Mongolia in central Asia. There are fewer than 1,000 wild camels left in their native range.
The gestation period for camels is 11 months; calves typically are born in March and April.
The Bactrian camels shed their thick winter coat in the spring, leaving them hairless in the hot summer months.