A gorilla of someone's dreams was born at Como Zoo, the third such event in the St. Paul attraction's 56 years of caring for the species.

Alice gave birth to the 4-pound female Wednesday, and the newborn "appears healthy, strong and is bonding" with her mother, the zoo said in Monday's baby announcement.

The birth, after a roughly 8½-month gestation period, is 15-year-old Alice's second baby. A name has yet to be selected. Alice first gave birth in 2014, but the newborn died a few days later.

"First-time gorilla mothers are more likely to experience challenges relating to birth and child-rearing," zoo curator John Dee said in a statement released Monday.

"With this birth, everything is tracking as it should," Dee added. "Alice has shown herself to be very attentive, very nurturing and very protective of her new baby, just as we hoped she would."

For the time being, the newborn and her parents will remain out of public view, "allowing Alice and baby to bond," the zoo announcement read.

The newborn, born Wednesday, is still unnamed.

Schroeder is the newborn's father. The 31-year-old silverback western lowland gorilla has been at Como Zoo since 1991. He and Dara had a baby, Arlene, in February 2015.

Here are some traits that should sound familiar to the human condition: Newborn gorillas — known as infants — are nearly helpless except to cling to their mother's hair and to nurse. They stay with their mothers for several years after birth. As for gorillas thinking they know everything by their teen years, well, that's still up for debate.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482