Adorable Baby Giraffe Fights to Stay Awake at Memphis Zoo and It’s Too Cute

We all know what it's like to fight to stay awake, and for this baby giraffe, the struggle was real. Fitz is just a few weeks old - he was born on April 2nd at the Memphis Zoo - so it makes sense that the little guy needs a lot of sleep. WKYC Channel 3 posted this short but sweet video to their YouTube page in mid-April showing just how hard it is for Fitz to stay awake, and I bet you can't watch it just once!

WKYC shares in their caption, "The creator of the video posted this on social media. "Have you ever seen a sleepy baby giraffe? While he was fighting hard to stay awake here, naps are one of Fitz’s favorite activities!"" Watch as his adorable long neck falls to the side as he slowly begins to fall asleep.

Isn't he adorable? I thought he was going to fall over! WKYC also shared the video to their other social media channels...it was a hit!

Related: San Diego Zoo Shares Sweetest Facts About Their Baby Giraffe

More About Fitz the Baby Giraffe

I don't know how I missed the announcement of Fitz's birth because I love reporting this kind of news! The local news channel in Memphis WREG shared the news of his birth a few days after his arrival. He was a big baby and weighed in at a whopping 150 pounds at birth and was already 6-feet tall.

Fitz was born on his dad Nik's birthday. He is the tenth calf for his dad and the fourth for his mom, Wendy. Wendy has been taking good care of her baby, and Fitz is healthy and growing strong. The zoo said that Fits spends a few hours a day outdoors and enjoys exploring and staying close to mom.

And it's not really a surprise that baby giraffes want to sleep all day since they're growing. But did you know that giraffes have one of the shortest sleep durations among all land mammals? According to Wildlife FAQ, "On average, adult giraffes sleep for about 30 minutes a night, and their sleep cycles are typically around 35 minutes or shorter. This brief period of sleep is divided into short bursts that rarely exceed five minutes." Baby giraffes sleep a bit more and depend on their mothers for protection. They go on to say, "To survive and meet their nutritional needs, giraffes prioritize feeding over sleep, dedicating more time to grazing and digesting food."

The Memphis Zoo said the Fitz's birth is significant because in the wild, "giraffes as a species are undergoing what has been termed a “silent extinction” as they are rapidly disappearing in their native habitat. The population overall has declined by 40% in the last 30 years." Fitz and the other giraffes at the zoo are part of a Species Survival Plan that focuses on "the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable."

I'll be keeping an eye on Fitz because he's so cute! There's something so special about baby animals and watching them grow, and I can't wait to see how much Fitz does over the next year or so.

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