Giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world and they are truly amazing creatures with many unique features.Most giraffes in the world are native to the continent of Africa, while parts like eastern Africa and South Africa contain the most giraffes. Their conservation status under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature is listed as Vulnerable.A giraffe has unique features like a long neck, a long body and exceptionally tall build. It’s almost impossible to believe that such creatures exist in reality. Because they are very tall, they can run long distances with ease. They can run as fast as 35 mph (56 kph) over short distances which is faster than the fastest human runners in the world which is not really surprising considering their size. But just as amazing these animals are, giraffe birth is one of the most difficult births in the animal kingdom and it weighs down upon the calf and the mother alike. The birth of every creature in this world is unique but animal birth is certainly more difficult than human birth. Many animal births are much more difficult than human births. This is not to undermine the pain that a human mother goes through, but its certainly more difficult for an animal mother because there are less resources available to aid and ease their pain. Moreover laboring animals are constantly under threat to protect the life of their newborn as well as their own.If you like this article, do check out how do giraffes sleep and how tall is a giraffe.Where and when do giraffes give birth?Every animal gives birth in a slightly different way, but giraffe labor is definitely very unique. There are always some visible signs of laboring animals. In case of a giraffe, you know when it is about too give birth with the following signs. A laboring mother will stiffen her posture and display movement in her hips. Another big sign of labor is that she suddenly stops eating and sticks out her tail often. Subsequently, if the calf comes out with its front feet and nose first, its a good sign but if it comes out backwards, that’s a bad sign. Female giraffes give birth standing up.Domesticated females are known to have designated ‘calving grounds’ where they give birth. Most zoos have recorded laboring mothers ‘returning’ to the ground where they have previously given birth as a giraffe can give birth every 20-30 months. As for the females in the wild, they find a suitable, sheltered location in the wild and laboring giraffes will hide their signs for as long as possible especially in the wild in order to not be vulnerable to predators, like the big cats of Africa.After the birth of the calf, females and males don’t display similar behaviors during the upbringing of the calf. Adult male giraffes don’t have anything to do with the bringing up of their babies, so just as the females get pregnant, they leave their family herd. As the calves grow up, the calves that are male shall leave behind their birth mothers after about 15 months to often join all-male groups. Female calves however, often stay in the same herd where their mothers are. If they do leave, they leave at about 18 months old. They will also usually live in the same location with their family herd where they grew up.What is the gestation period of a giraffe?Giraffes have quite a normal gestation period that is similar to other big mammals like camels and elephants. Their gestation period can last for 15 months.However, gestation periods differ from species to species but giraffe mothers have one of the longest pregnancies. Baby giraffes are born and fall to the ground because mothers give birth standing up so the baby needs to be big enough to be capable of surviving a long fall to the ground. The ‘fall’ is typically what bursts the amniotic sac, breaking the umbilical cord which is definitely just as difficult as it seems to be. However difficult it may seem, it is essential as it encourages the calf to take its first breath. This fall is really important because the fall practically separates the mother and the baby. Surprisingly though, the fall doesn’t hurt the baby giraffes and they are fortunately resistant to maximum amount of pain.How many days is a giraffe pregnant?The giraffe is a big animal with quite a long gestation period. They have similar gestation periods to big animals like elephants and camels. Camels have a more similar duration of pregnancies than elephants, nevertheless the procedure of birth of these animals is very similar. All these animals have a gestation period between 15-22 months. Camels have the shortest pregnancies with a minimum of 13 months, followed by giraffes with a minimum of 15 months which is around 400-450 days, and last on the list are elephants with the longest pregnancy of 22 months.Individual giraffes have different rates of reaching reproductive maturity depending on their sex life. Male giraffes are only reproductive for six years of their life whereas female giraffes can reproduce through a life-time. On average, a giraffe does not reach reproductive maturity until four to five months of age. A giraffe usually gives birth to one calf at a time but there is a possibility of twins while females stop menstruating soon. Early menopause is an interesting biological function which accommodates the female to take up the upbringing of her grandchildren.How big are giraffe calves at birth?The newborns of female giraffes are as big as a full-grown human. Newborn giraffes are astonishingly 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and weigh in at 50 lb (68 kg) at birth on average. The size of a baby giraffe at birth might be an overwhelming size for just a baby. However, this is the baby of one of the biggest and tallest animals in the world so it only makes sense that they are big.. However, a more scientific reason for their gigantic size is that baby giraffes need to reach the height of their mother’s udder in order to consume milk.A giraffe calf does not really have a choice to not walk right after its born because it needs to follow the herd in order to stay secure and escape predators. Similarly, the laboring mothers prefer to stay among the herd to keep safe from predators in the wild during the months of pregnancyFor how long will a giraffe rely on its mother’s milk?Because of the extreme size of their offspring, a mother giraffe gives birth standing up so as not damage the lengthy necks of their babies who fall on the ground from an approximate distance of 6 ft (1.8 m) ! The newborns are definitely just as amazing as their mothers.A giraffe’s amazing newborn is largely autonomous, compared to most animals. Even the newborn of a human can barely open its eyes. Because they are so autonomous, they start eating solid food like leaves from about four months in the earliest cases. They only rely on their mother’s milk for up to 9-12 months and have the ability to walk within the first hour of being born and run within 10 hours from birth.What animal has the longest pregnancy?There is an overwhelming amount of diversity of animals in the animal kingdom, some are small and some are large. All animals have different types of birth and their birth depends on a number of factors. One of the most interesting fact is that, the gestation period of animals is somewhat related to the size of the animal.The rationale behind this conclusion is that, larger and more complex animals need longer time to develop. Whereas, smaller and less complicated animals need a shorter time to develop. Considering this logic, its not surprising to know that its indeed the largest mammal on land that has the longest pregnancy. Elephants, one of the biggest creatures in the world, have an overwhelmingly long gestation period of 22 months which is nearly around two years! Giraffes being one of the biggest creatures join elephants on the list of animals with the longest pregnancies, making it a unique experience in itself.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how long is a giraffe pregnant then why not take a look at why do giraffes have horns or giraffe facts?
Giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world and they are truly amazing creatures with many unique features.
