DENVER -- The endangered Grevy's zebra population got a little boost with the birth of a new foal at the Denver Zoo.

Lakota is a male Grevy's zebra that was born at the zoo Nov. 27, local affiliate KMGH-TV reported.

Zoo officials said Lakota is "very shy and tends to remain at his mother's side." However, he has been known to venture out on his own from time to time. His mother, Topaz, is said to keep "a watchful eye over the young colt."

Grevy's zebras are endangered, with less than 2,000 left in the wild due to loss of habitat, competition with livestock and poaching, according to the Denver Zoo.

Grevy's zebras can be distinguished from other zebras by their longer legs, more narrow stripes, stripeless underbelly and large rounded ears. They are only found in northern Kenya and southeastern Ethiopia.

Lakota is the third Grevy's zebra born from the zoo's breeding herd and the 16th zebra born in the zoo's history.

A few zebra facts:

Full-grown male zebras can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and stand more than 5 feet tall at the shoulder.

Zebra foals are born after a gestation period of 13 months.

Young zebras are born with brown stripes instead of black. This protective coloring helps the foal to blend in with its background and be less visible to predators.

Zebra stripes are like human fingerprints -- no two zebras have identical stripe patterns.