Baby Dolphin Born At Six Flags Vallejo Gets A Name
VALLEJO (CBS SF) - A baby dolphin born last week at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo has been named Mirabella, park officials said Friday.
The bottlenose dolphin was born to 9-year-old Bella last Thursday.
The baby calf was born a week before she was due and is Bella's first calf, park spokeswoman Nancy Chan said.
Mirabella is also the first female dolphin born at the park in more than eight years, according to park officials.
Marine mammal trainers chose the name Mirabella because it means "lovely and wondrous" in Italian, Chan said.
Holly Muraco, a marine mammal reproductive specialist at the park, said Mirabella is an adorable, independent and tough dolphin.
Muraco said she is a more vocal calf, standing out from other baby dolphins she has worked with.
Bella is one of the staff's favorite mammals because of her fun-loving personality and her daughter is starting to mirror that trait, Muraco said.
The mother and daughter are spending lots of alone time together and once Mirabella becomes more comfortable with her surroundings, the park will add more dolphins into their habitat, Muraco said.
Mirabella will be making her public debut alongside her mom next weekend.