This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Abigail Greenwalt's name.

The Memphis Zoo is home to two new — and adorable — jaguar cubs.

Zoo staff introduced the female jaguars, born Sept. 4, to the world Thursday during a neonatal exam.

Chief Zoological Officer Matt Thompson said the zoo was “thrilled” about the cubs.

“Not only are they adorable, they’re an important big cat,” he said. “Jaguar populations are on the decline in the wild, and we are proud to be an institution focused so heavily on conservation and research efforts.”

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Zoo officials announced Wednesday the babies had been born, but did not say until Thursday what the species was. The zoo’s jaguars live in the “Cat Country” area alongside cheetahs, snow leopards, tigers and other big cats.

Both cubs were pronounced healthy by zoo veterinarians, who examined their eyes, paws, teeth, ears and bellies Thursday. The exam lasted about 10 minutes. Zoo staff said separating the cubs from their mother for longer than that can cause anxiety for mom.

The cubs — who zoo staff said were well behaved, thanks to brief but frequent exposures to zoo staff — were examined separately, one squirming on a blue towel as their sibling curiously popped their head out of a yellow box.

The cubs' first baby teeth are just starting to pop out, and they are close in size and weight. They will be on exhibit after more vaccinations, at least a month from now, though zoo staff said a firm date could not be set until they have more time to watch the cubs develop.

Abigail Greenwalt, one of the zookeepers who works with the jaguars, said the babies were doing well.

“They’re developing well and learning to jump and play and explore their environment. Mom is doing a great job with them,” she said.

The two cubs were mother Philomena's — who is also healthy — first litter. The cubs have not been named yet. Greenwalt said the zoo planned to have a naming contest in the future and that they wanted to hear suggestions from Memphians on what the cubs should be called.

Zoo staff are also starting to see the cubs' personalities. One of the cubs is slightly larger than the other and she tends to be braver, trying new things first, while her sister prefers to hang in the background and is a more cautious explorer, Greenwalt said.

She said the birth of the jaguar cubs was also important for the species overall. Jaguars are not often born at zoos and this pair is the first born at the Memphis Zoo since the creation of Cat Country in 1993.

Jaguars, which are native to South and Central America, are classified as a "near threatened" species and many have perished in the recent Amazon wildfires, Greenwalt said. She added that having two healthy females at the Memphis Zoo, who could potentially breed in the future, helps ensure genetic diversity.

The Memphis Zoo has welcomed several other babies this year including a giraffe, a Francois’ langur monkey and an African black-footed penguin.

Corinne Kennedy is a reporter for the Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.Kennedy@CommercialAppeal.com or on Twitter @CorinneSKennedy