Ultrasound Shows 'a Wiggly Little Baby'...but It's Not Human

Just as many mothers-to-be receive ultrasounds to check up on the growing fetus, animal experts do the same with some endangered species to confirm and monitor the pregnancy. In this case, the result is a rare glimpse at a developing western Iowland gorilla while it's still in the womb.

The 12-year-old mother is just a couple of months away from giving birth, and Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, announced her pregnancy with footage of an ultrasound this month.

Image source: YouTube

Check out the baby gorilla kicking around in the womb:

According to Busch Gardens, the mother gorilla named Pele is expected to give birth in November. This would be Pele's first baby gorilla, but not her first pregnancy. Last year, Pele delivered a stillborn gorilla.

The baby gorilla's suspected father is named Bolingo, who was the first gorilla born at Busch Gardens himself.

The gestation period for this endangered type of gorilla is about eight and a half months. In the announcement, Busch Gardens Animal Care Specialist Kari Bauer wrote that gorillas don't gain a significant amount of weight during pregnancy. There might be some subtle changes in diet, but she wrote that they keep track of the animals' monthly cycles and perform urine tests and ultrasounds. In this case, they were surprised with a positive result. 

"The first ultrasound after the positive test showed that Pele did indeed have a wiggly little baby gorilla in there!" Bauer wrote.

(H/T: Daily Mail)