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7 Interesting Facts about a Baby Giraffe

Baby Giraffe

A baby Giraffe is a sight to behold! Consider a “newborn” six feet three inches tall and weighs 147 pounds at birth. Giraffe moms carry their babies for 15 months, allowing the embryo to grow massive. When the baby is ready to be born, the baby comes front feet first, with the neck and head stretched out over the front knees in a sort of “superman” position.

This is useful since a mother giraffe gives birth in a standing position, which means the newborn comes into the world falling from a height of over 6 feet. The fall and impact break the umbilical cord and the natal sac, and the jolt of landing forces the baby giraffe to take its first breath!

The unharmed youngster will relax for up to an hour where it landed while the mother licks it to increase circulation and dry the skin. Still, Africa’s infants must be ready to run with the herd, and the newborn giraffe is up, walking, and even running within an hour of birth.

Let’s find out seven astonishing giraffe baby facts; 

Baby Giraffe Can Run after 10 Hours of Birth

While it is true that giraffes have difficulty walking when they are freshly born, this stage is only temporary. Giraffe calves can walk with enough steadiness to avoid stumbling or falling over after about 30 minutes of practice. Giraffe calves can run at full speed and keep up with their mothers and fathers within 10 hours of birth. Isn’t it fascinating?

Giraffe Calves Use their Bottoms to Get Some Rest

A sleeping newborn giraffe wraps its long neck over its body and rests its head on its bottom. Yes, a young giraffe sleeps three to four hours, but it can also stand up for a few minutes.

Moo like a Cow

If you’ve ever wondered what a young giraffe’s voice sounds like, you might be startled to hear that it’s more familiar than you think. Giraffe calves can moo like cows. When they are distressed, they utilize their voices. Giraffes will acquire new sounds that sound more like a whoosh to human hearing as they grow older, eventually communicating at a low frequency that human ears won’t be able to hear!

They Get Their Spot Patterns from Their Mother

A baby giraffe’s orange spot patterns are one-of-a-kind. The calf inherits its mother’s spot patterns. Their spots can also aid body temperature regulation and identify other giraffes in their family.

They Can Run Fast

With their towering legs and lengthy necks, Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals, as you may know. A giraffe’s legs alone are roughly 6 feet long, making it taller than many humans. They are, nevertheless, speedy, reaching speeds of up to 35 miles per hour over short distances.

They Always Look for Food

Giraffes eat most of the time and, like cows, regurgitate and chew their food as cud. Every week, a giraffe consumes hundreds of pounds of leaves and must travel long distances to obtain enough to eat.

Giraffes Leave Their Mothers

Even though two years old may seem young to humans, it is usual for giraffes to leave their mothers at two. During this period, giraffes leave their herd, known as a tower, to fend for themselves. Even after leaving their tower, newborn giraffes are known to return and travel with their moms for days or weeks.