Proud gorilla mother Melima cradles her newborn baby as she shows off the youngster for the first time since it was born four days ago.
The baby Lowland gorilla was born at Hannover Zoo in Germany to 15-year-old Melima.
Melima has been hiding her baby since it was born, but decided to present it to the public today.
It is still not known whether the baby is a girl or a boy.
New arrival: Gorilla mother Melima holds her tiny newborn baby at Hannover Zoo today
The proud father is 200lb silverback Buzandi, who came to Hannover from Melbourne Zoo. This is Melima's second offspring.
Lowland gorillas are endangered, but remain far more common than their relatives, the mountain gorillas.
They eat roots, shoots, fruit, and tree bark.
Female gorillas give birth to one infant after a pregnancy of nearly nine months. Newborns normally weight around four pounds and are able only to cling to their mothers’ fur.
They ride on their mothers’ backs from the age of four months, through the first two or three years of their lives.
They live in countries including Cameroon, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cradling: Melima looks tenderly at her newborn baby who was born on Sunday at the zoo
Coochi-coochi-coo: Melima looks completely smitten with her new baby, her second born
A little nursery: Melima is not the only gorilla to give birth at Hannover Zoo in recent times. Kathi (38) had a child called Kala (pictured left) 14 months ago
Proud dad: Silverback gorilla Buzandi is the father of the newborn at Hanover Zoo
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2115475/Gorilla-mum-Melina-cradles-newborn-baby-Hannover-Zoo-Germany.html#ixzz1pDyl4Z11
