Surprise, Late-Year Foal Born On Assateague Island

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A surprise foal was born to the Assateague Island herd this week, according to the national park's Facebook page.

The colt's mother, Giggles, was given a pregnancy test on Nov. 23, 2015, "at which time she was either not yet pregnant, or just a few days along, so that the hormone spikes that the tests measure had not yet occurred."

Horses gestate between 11 and 12 months.

A colt born in late September was expected to be the last foal born to the island's herd this year.

The band of horses that the new foal was born into lives year-round in a more developed area of the park, and so has already been seen by park visitors.

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